On NgoFebruwari 24, i-Senate yaseVermont ivotele i-26-4 ukuvala i-38-year-old Vermont Yankee isityalo samandla enyukliya xa ilayisenisi yayo yokusebenza iphela ngo-2012. Esi sigqibo esicacileyo sasiyimpendulo ecacileyo kumsindo woluntu ngenxa yokuvuza kwe-radioactive ekhula ngokukhawuleza. kumzimveliso kunye nothotho olunxulumeneyo lobuxoki olusasazwa ngumnini walo, i-Entergy Corporation.
IVermont Yankee yenye yezityalo zenyukliya ezigugayo zaseMntla-mpuma ezithengwe ngamaxabiso okuthengisa umlilo yi-Entergy ukusukela ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane. Abanye baquka i-2 e-Indian Point, iikhilomitha ezingama-35 kumntla weManhattan, uFitzPatrick kumantla eNew York, kunye nePilgrim ePlymouth, Massachusetts. Ezi ntengiso zithengiweyo zenza i-Entergy ibe ngumnini wesibini ngobukhulu kunye nomsebenzisi wezityalo zenyukliya esizweni. I-Entergy esekwe eNew Orleans ibiqhuba ezi nukes ezindala emhlabeni ukusukela ngoko. Kwimeko yaseVermont Yankee, efunyenwe kwi-180 yezigidi zeedola ngo-2002, inkampani yafumana imvume kwiKomishoni yoLawulo lweNyukliya ngo-2006 "ukunyusa" amandla ayo okusebenza ukuya kwi-120 ekhulwini, i-20 yepesenti ngaphezu komlinganiselo oyiliweyo.
Emva kokuba i-Entergy ingqube iVermont Yankee ukuya kutsho kwi-120 pesenti, enye yeenqaba zayo zokupholisa yawa ngo-2007. Ukongezelela, kwavela ukuba i-Entergy ayizange igcine imali yokuhlawula iindleko zokuvala kunye nokudiliza iVermont Yankee, njengoko kuyimfuneko, ukudala inkxalabo yokuba i-Vermonters iya kushiywa ibambe isikhwama.
I-Entergy iphendule ngokuzama ukuqinisekisa uluntu ukuba ukusilela kuya kwenziwa lutyalo-mali eWall Street. Emva koko iWall Street yawa. Ingafakwanga, i-Entergy iqhubele phambili nesicwangciso "sokuphotha" ii-nukes zayo ezindala zibe liziko elahlukileyo, i-Enexus, eya kuthatha imali-mboleko yezigidi ezingama-350 zeedola, isebenzisa izityalo eziwohlokayo njengesibambiso sayo kuphela, kwaye ibuyisele umva i-300 yezigidi zeedola kwi-Entergy. Isicwangciso ayikaphumeleli imvume eyimfuneko evela eVermont naseNew York State. Abagxeki baye bamangalela ukuba oku konke bubuqhetseba ukwenza izigidi ze-Entergy, kunye nokuziqhelanisa noxanduva lwemali elizayo, njengeendleko zokuvala kwizityalo zayo zenyukliya ezindala.
Undoqo kwisikimu se-Entergy kukuqinisekisa uhlaziyo lwelayisenisi yokusebenza kwiinukes zayo zaseMantla. I-NRC ekuqaleni ikhuphe iilayisenisi zokusebenza ze-40, kodwa kutshanje iye yanikezela uhlaziyo lwelayisenisi ye-20 njengeeplastiki zeplastiki kwiMardi Gras. Oku kuyakwandisa ubomi bokusebenza kwezityalo, ngokwethiyori, ukuya kwiminyaka engama-60.
I-Entergy ifake isicelo sokwandiswa kweVermont Yankee kwi-2006, kodwa, ngenxa yokuba i-Entergy sele ivumile ukunika i-legislative ye-Vermont igunya lokuthatha isigqibo malunga nokwandiswa, ngoFebruwari 24 basebenzise loo mandla, bephosa i-wrench kwi-Entergy's machining.
Ichibi leRadioactive laseVermont
ONgoJanuwari 7, iiveki ezimbalwa ngaphambi kokuba uMongameli u-Obama azise iCongress egqumayo ezinyaweni zayo ngexesha lentetho yakhe yeNyunyana kunye nomnxeba onomdla "kwisizukulwana esitsha sezityalo zamandla enyukliya ezikhuselekileyo," u-Entergy wafaka ingxelo kwi-NRC ukuba " ichonge iqondo eliphantsi kakhulu le-tritium" amanzi aphantsi komhlaba kwindawo enye yokubeka iliso e-Vermont Yankee, kwisampulu ethathwe ngoNovemba ka-2009. I-Tritium yi-radioactive hydrogen, i-byproduct ye-nuclear fission kunye ne-carcinogen eyaziwayo. Xa idibene namanzi kwaye ingena emizimbeni yethu, inokuhlala iminyaka.
Njenge Uyilo Maxesha Argus ingxelo ngoJanuwari 16, "[M] amalungu olawulo [lweRhuluneli] uDouglas avakalisa ukucaphuka ukuba amagosa avela kwiziko lamandla enyukliya asenokuba balahlekisa abalawuli. Eli phepha likwanike ingxelo yokuba nge-20 kaMeyi kulo nyaka uphelileyo, uJay Thayer, usekela mongameli weVermont Yankee, waphendula kumbuzo webhodi yolawulo yenkonzo karhulumente malunga nobukho bezinto ezisasaza iimitha kwimibhobho ephantsi kwesi sityalo: โNdingenza uphando. , kodwa andikholelwa ukuba kukho imibhobho esebenzayo engaphantsi komhlaba equlethe (i-radioactive) fluids namhlanje."
Kodwa ngoku kurhaneleka ukuba le tritium ivuza kule ndawo kuthethwa ngayo. Ngaphezulu koko, uThayer akazange abuyele kwibhodi yokulawula. I Amaxesha Argus ingxelo ngokunjalo ukuba amanqanaba tritium kwiisampuli ukusuka equleni, ekuqaleni 700 picocuries ilitha ngoNovemba ophelileyo, "waye watsiba 17,000 kunye 14,500 iinxalenye ilitha ngeveki edlulileyo." (I-pico yitriliyoni yenxalenye. I-Curie ngumlinganiselo wobungakanani be-radioactivity entweni okanye emntwini.)
Enjalo Amaxesha Argus Inqaku labika ukuba iiSenators uPatrick Leahy kunye noBernie Sanders babiza i-NRC ukuba iphande ubumdaka eVermont Yankee. Ngeli xesha, amanqanaba e-tritium kumanzi aphantsi komhlaba aqhubeka enyuka. Iisampulu ezimbini ukusuka ekuqaleni kukaFebruwari zilinganisa i-70,500 kunye ne-80,000 picocuries ilitha nganye. Ngomhla we-4 kaFebruwari, i-Associated Press yanika ingxelo yesampulu "ngaphezulu kwamaxesha angama-37 ngaphezulu komda wamanzi okusela akhuselekileyo," "phantse i-775,000 yeepicocuries ilitha nganye," ivela "kwiqula elitsha eligrunjiweyo" eVermont Yankee. Umda we-EPA we-tritium emanzini okusela ngama-20,000 picocuries ilitha nganye. NgoFebruwari 9, i Rutland Herald amanqanaba axeliweyo e-2.38 kunye ne-2.52 yezigidi zeepicokuries/ilitha ngeentsuku ezilandelelanayo.
UWilliam Irwin weSebe lezeMpilo laseVermont wachaza amanzi angcolileyo aphantsi komhlaba eVermont Yankee "njengendawo enkulu kakhulu" kwaye wathi ukuvuza bekuqhubeka "iinyanga okanye unyaka okanye ezimbini." Kwangaloo mini, i Iphephandaba laseBurlington lasimahla ingxelo yokuba uGqr Wendy Davis, umkomishinala wesebe lezempilo likarhulumente, wathi, "Kunengqiqo ukucinga ukuba i-radioactive tritium ephuma eVermont Yankee ingena kuMlambo waseConnecticut." IVermont Yankee imi kuMlambo iConnecticut kumazantsi eVermont.
Umlambo uqukuqela emazantsi utyhutyha entshona Massachusetts kunye nobude beConnecticut ngaphambi kokungena kwiLong Island Sound. Emva koko, iRhuluneli yaseMassachusetts uDeval Patrick wabiza uphando oludibeneyo lwesityalo sePilgrim nuke yelizwe lakhe, ukubona ukuba sineengxaki ezifana neVermont Yankee. Uphinde wacela ukuba kumiswe i-NRC ukucubungula izicelo zombini zezityalo zokwandiswa kwelayisensi yeminyaka engama-20.
Irhuluneli yaseNew Hampshire uJohn Lynch "ucele uphando lomanyano kukhuseleko kunye nolawulo eVermont Yankee" ngokunjalo, ngokutsho kwe-10 kaFebruwari. Iindaba zeBloomberg.
I-WBUR, isikhululo sikanomathotholo sikawonke-wonke saseBoston, nge-11 kaFebruwari, "uMongameli weSenethi yaseVermont uPeter Shumlin, isithili sakhe esibandakanya iVernon [isiza saseVermont Yankee], uthe, 'iTritium ngoku ivuza kuMlambo iConnecticut kwaye idada eMassachusetts. ixesha lidlule kakuhle xa singenza ngathi sinesixhobo esitsha senyukliya sanamhlanje sihleli elunxwemeni loMlambo iConnecticut.Asazi.Yayilwa ukuba ivalwe ngo-2012. Kufuneka sihlale le nqwelomoya ngexesha'. "
NgoFebruwari 15, Mantla Adams Transcript ingxelo yokuba "indawo ye-Vermont Yankee yongcoliseko ngokuvuza kwayo kwe-radioactive tritium malunga nobukhulu bebala lebhola kunye neenyawo ze-30 ubunzulu."
Ngokwenxalenye yayo, i-Entergy yazama ukufihla "iimpazamo" zayo ngokwahlula phakathi kwemibhobho engcwatywe kunye nokuxhoma phantsi komhlaba. Ibeke uJay Thayer kunye namanye amagosa kwisityalo "kwikhefu lolawulo" kwaye yathumela iqela elivela eNew Orleans ukuba liqhube olwalo uphando. Inkampani yaphikisa ngelithi ayifuni nyani iVermont Yankee ukuba iqhubele phambili neskimu sayo sokuphuma kwaye ibingenzi mali ngesi sityalo.
I-Entergy ikwalile ukuphendula iminxeba yokuvala isityalo ukuze kukhawuleziswe ukukhangela ukuvuza kwe-tritium. Endaweni yoko, iqhubekile ukuyigcina isebenza kwi-120 yeepesenti umthamo.
U-Arnie Gundersen, impempe ekugxekwa kwayo iVermont Yankee kube ngundoqo ekuziseni iingxaki zayo, uthe, โUkuba iVermont Yankee iyaqhubeka nokusebenza, ukuvuza kwe-tritium kunokulandelwa kukukhutshwa kwezinye izinto eziyingozi ngakumbi njengeCobalt-60. I-Tritium ihlala isandulela sezinye izinto kuba ihamba emhlabeni ngokukhawuleza kunezinye izinto. "
Okwangoku, i-NRC yavuma ukuba i-27 yesizwe se-104 esebenzayo izityalo zenyukliya zentengiso zinembali yokuvuza kwe-tritium. Enye yeenukes zakudala zase-Entergy zaseMntla-mpuma, uFitzPatrick kumantla eNew York, unokuvuza okusebenzayo ngoku. Njengaleyo iseVermont Yankee, umthombo wayo awuzange ufunyanwe njengoko kubhaliwe ekuqaleni kuka-Epreli.
Ngelixa ulawulo luka-Obama lubiza iibhiliyoni kwiimali-mboleko eziqinisekisiweyo zokwakha izityalo zenyukliya ezitsha, ubudenge bamandla enyukliya esizukulwana sokuqala buyaqhubeka ukudlala.