Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

State to power plants: stop sucking in seawater
OC Register ^ | 5/4/10 | Pat Brennan

Posted on 05/05/2010 5:26:46 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

Tough new rules imposed by the State Water Board Tuesday would force 19 coastal power plants to begin phasing out their reliance on ocean-water cooling systems — raising the specter of giant towers erected along I-5 to cool the San Onofre nuclear plant.

San Onofre and the other plants, including the AES plant in Huntington Beach, were given deadlines to make technological updates to their cooling system by the Water Board, which voted to approve the new rules late Tuesday. The deadlines are years away — for San Onofre, it’s 2022.

The new rules could force many plants to switch to using cooling towers erected on land.

Southern California Edison officials, who own and operate the San Onofre plant, say that in their case, massive cooling towers would have to be built on the other side of I-5; the rendering above shows fog from the towers rolling across the freeway at night.

...

The board agreed to a three-year study of the two nuclear plants involved — San Onofre and Diablo Canyon — to determine whether they should be subject to different requirements.

The coastal plants rely on ocean water to cool turbines — in the case of San Onofre, to condense steam — pulling in billions of gallons of seawater each day. Along with the water comes billions of marine eggs and larvae and millions of fish; marine mammals, such as sea lions, also are sometimes trapped and killed.

The Water Board is trying to bring California’s coastal power plants in line with the Clean Water Act, which requires the best available technology to protect aquatic life.

Power plant operators have said the new rules will greatly increase their costs.

(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedude.freedomblogging.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; powerplants; sanonofre; seawater; sucking
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last

1 posted on 05/05/2010 5:26:46 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

suck gin and tonic instead..


2 posted on 05/05/2010 5:27:58 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Chuck DeVore - CA Senator. Believe.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Yeah. Just hold the heat in.


3 posted on 05/05/2010 5:28:46 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Obama goes on long after the thrill of Obama is gone)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge
The Water Board is trying to bring California’s coastal power plants in line with the Clean Water Act, which requires the best available technology to protect aquatic life.

Best available technology? Not the most cost-effective solution? No wonder we are going to h3ll in a handbasket. We are be driven by a bunch of rules written by folks who haven't a clue.

4 posted on 05/05/2010 5:30:59 PM PDT by mlocher (USA is a sovereign nation)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge
What happens when these towers collapse in an earthquake? Piping water in from the ocean seems a lot safer for a nuclear plant.

-PJ

5 posted on 05/05/2010 5:31:21 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too ("Comprehensive" reform bills only end up as incomprehensible messes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Idiots.


6 posted on 05/05/2010 5:33:02 PM PDT by karnage (worn arguments and old attitudes)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

They should simply cool the plants with Unicorn piss, and all will be well again!


7 posted on 05/05/2010 5:33:03 PM PDT by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

I have fing had up to my neck with this crap wtf is going on the people in power are hell bent on destroying this country when will it be time to fight back and i mean fight its gonna happen


8 posted on 05/05/2010 5:33:09 PM PDT by al baby (Hi Mom sarc ;))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

I wonder what they’re planning to use instead?


9 posted on 05/05/2010 5:33:27 PM PDT by mapmaker77
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge
Power plant operators have said the new rules will greatly increase their costs.

Not really important to a true liberal.

10 posted on 05/05/2010 5:33:58 PM PDT by Rocky (REPEAL IT!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: al baby

The ‘GReen’ Revolution has a price tag.. a hefty one.


11 posted on 05/05/2010 5:35:57 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Chuck DeVore - CA Senator. Believe.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Political Junkie Too
What happens when these towers collapse in an earthquake? Piping water in from the ocean seems a lot safer for a nuclear plant.

That cooling is not safety related. There is another, backup safety system to cool the plants in accidents.

12 posted on 05/05/2010 5:37:18 PM PDT by ColdWater ("The theory of evolution really has no bearing on what I'm trying to accomplish with FR anyway. ")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

“The ‘Green’ Revolution has a price tag.. a hefty one,”... our country and our freedom.


13 posted on 05/05/2010 5:41:10 PM PDT by TruthConquers (Delendae sunt publicae scholae)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Well they changed the rules in FL. This winter hundreds of manatees died of cold temps. The powerplants had to cool the water versus the past. In the past, the manatees headed for waters near the powerplants to keep warm.


14 posted on 05/05/2010 5:42:40 PM PDT by Frantzie (McCain=Obama's friend. McCain/Graham = La Raza's Senators & Estefan-Rubio)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Yea we don’t want to get the water from the OCEANS or anything like that.

hook up to the city water, yeaaaa, thats the ticket.


15 posted on 05/05/2010 5:53:24 PM PDT by mowowie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Yea, We need to protect the “aquatic life” because we know that huge input pipe is just to much strain on the aqutic life struggling to make it in our tiny oceans.


16 posted on 05/05/2010 5:55:55 PM PDT by mowowie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rocky

“Power plant operators have said the new rules will greatly increase their costs.
Not really important to a true liberal. “

How dare you put a price on feeling good about ourselves!
Besides, we will all share the cost of saving those minnows.
Do you have a problem with that?


17 posted on 05/05/2010 5:59:01 PM PDT by mowowie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

I wonder if these people ever heard of fishing trawlers before.
Let’s hope not.


18 posted on 05/05/2010 6:01:42 PM PDT by mowowie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Apparently, there’s a big shortage of ocean water. [/s]


19 posted on 05/05/2010 6:42:09 PM PDT by rbg81 (DRAIN THE SWAMP!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

I got a solution, just trap them in the intakes, then I will gather them up, prepare, cook, and distribute to the hungry and unemployed.

It sounds like a delicious problem to me.


20 posted on 05/05/2010 6:44:54 PM PDT by dila813
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson