A collosal failure PGE Trojan Nuclear Plants Implodes this morning

[Guest guest]

For web coverage of the implosion http://www.kptv.com/ look

for Trojan Nuclear plan implosion on the left side.

*/Paul C <paulpkcc/* wrote:

* Bringing an end to yet another horrible failure of Enron/PGE *

 

 

PGE to implode Trojan tower at end of May

 

*

 

 

03:34 PM PDT on Sunday, May 14, 2006

 

* *By SARAH SKIDMORE, AP Writer*

RAINIER, Ore. -- One of Oregon's most recognizable and controversial

landmarks is about to come down in a cloud of dust.

Oregon History Project photo

Trojan Nuclear Plant

Portland General Electric plans to implode the massive cooling tower on

Sunday at its defunct Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, northwest of Portland.

 

The 499-foot tower will be reduced to a 41,000-ton pile of rubble by

about 2,000 pounds of explosives. It's Oregon's first and only nuclear

power plant.

 

" The nuclear history in Oregon is a troubled one at best, " said David

Stewart-Smith, retired assistant director for the Oregon Department of

Energy. " It started off as the new and exciting technology but didn't

pan out very well. "

 

Trojan opened in 1976 and was beset by problems until it closed in 1993.

The plant was built near a geological fault in the Columbia River in the

'70s. In 1989, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission fined PGE for debris in

two sumps that could have prevented its emergency core-cooling system

from working in a disaster.

 

Its ongoing problems led many to believe it was the inspiration for the

error-ridden nuclear plant in " The Simpsons, " a creation of

Portland-born Matt Groening. (Groening's representative said it is not.)

 

The plant rarely ran at full capacity, often stopping operations when

there was a major snowmelt because PGE could buy excess hydroelectric

power from nearby Bonneville Dam cheaper than the power plant could make

it. And the market for energy was changing, making Trojan's operation

more labor intensive and expensive than other alternatives.So after

steam tubes cracked and leaked radioactive gas into the air, PGE and

regulators decided it made more financial sense to close the plant than

to continue operations. Built for $460 million in the 70s, Trojan was

approved to be decommissioned at a $429 million total cost.

 

Full decomissioning will take several decades. Remaining buildings will

be destroyed gradually through 2008. And federal regulators are trying

to develop a national repository where the spent radioactive fuel rods

can be kept permanently. The rods are now kept in concrete casks sitting

above ground and are anticipated to be moved in 2024.

The tower implosion, however, has garnered most of the attention.

 

" It's going to be fun to have a picture of this, " said Mark McDougal,

an attorney and environmentalist involved in the long-running fight

against Trojan.

 

Anti-Trojan activists were concerned about the health risks and

radioactive waste from a nuclear power plant. Environmental activists

brought several initiatives to voters and petitions to regulators to

close down the plant. People protested Trojan on numerous occasions.

Through legal and political wrangling, activists managed to block

creation of at least one other nuclear power plant in Oregon.

 

For these activists, the implosion is a long-awaited cause for

celebration. McDougal and others are having a party after the event,

complete with cooling tower-shaped pinatas.

But in the economically struggling timber towns that surround Trojan,

there are mixed feelings about May 21.

 

At nearby Goble Tavern, once a watering hole for Trojan employees,

there will be a " Trojan Implosion " party with live music and fire dancers.

 

" It's kind of bittersweet, " said Shayla Baslington, an area resident who

will be at the Goble party. " You've wanted it gone for years, but now

you are used to it as a landmark. "

Some locals and former workers said the event may be a sad reminder of

the plant's heyday. The power plant brought jobs and major tax revenue

to Rainier and surrounding areas.

 

At its peak, Trojan had 1,200 employees in a city with roughly the same

number of residents.

 

Its closure was devastating, said Gary Gettman, who was a supervisor of

quality control inspections at Trojan and now pumps gas to make up for

the retirement money he lost after the fall of Enron, which used to own PGE.

 

" It's still a topic of conversation -- how good it used to be -- good

for us, good for the community, " Gettman said.

 

Some people want the tower to stay as a reminder.

 

But Controlled Demolition Inc., the contractor, said it is better to

bring the tower down now than wait until it becomes decrepit.

 

The tower is now an empty shell waiting to be destroyed. The machinery

once inside is gone. Workers have drilled more than 3,000 holes in its

exterior, where the explosives will be placed. The firm said it will

take about 14 seconds to bring the tower down.

The casks where the fuel rods are stored will not be affected by the

blast, according to Controlled Demolition.

 

The implosion is tentatively scheduled for 7 a.m. PDT. PGE and the

contractor said people wanting to catch a glimpse of the action can get

the best view on television. Road, air and water space surrounding

Trojan will be restricted.

 

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!

The 1107th day since Bush Declared Mission Accomplished in Iraq.... when

will it ever end?