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>> PEGGY: After fifteen months of being off line the state of the San Onofre power plant
may be at a critical junction. Southern California Edison now says they will
consider keeping the plant closed permanently and state regulators are about to hear arguments
about what, if any costs should be passed on to rate payers.
Joining me are Rochelle Becker and San Diego State University professor and nuclear containment
expert, Murray Jennex, thank you for being here.
Rochelle, next week the California Public Utilities Commission will hold a hearing on
San Onofre. Will this get us closer to deciding who is
going to have to pay for all this? >> It's our first toe in the water, it's a
long process but it has to be a complete process. We need to know all the facts and have them
all in the record to make appropriate decisions. This is a costly move on the part of the PUC
and decisions on the part of Edison and the costs will be passed on to shareholders and
rate payers, so we need the facts and there are four phases, plus a phase that we added
last week. >> PEGGY: You mentioned rate payer and shareholder,
who do you think should pay? >> I believe the shareholders should way,
we paid once already. >> PEGGY: Murray, what do you think about
that? It's been fifteen months of one thing after
another. >>> I think it will be three parties, Mitsubishi,
rate holders and the shareholders, I figure whoever� if everybody is unhappy it's probably
the fairest decision. >> PEGGY: A lot of people share that decision.
Rochelle your alliance is going to have an opportunity to crossexam SDG&E and the power
plant representatives, what are those things that are going to be discussed?
>> It's not whether or not Edison did a good job of putting the steam generators in, not
whether or not Mitsubishi is responsible, it's bonuses to the executive, Mr.�Craver
the CEO of Edison, inflation rates, did we use the right inflation rates in this so there
are many questions and every party has a different perspective on this which is good because
it brings all perspectives together but our focus is what were the costs incurred and
who should pay for them >> PEGGY: This is going to take time to sort
this out about. >>> It is.
>> PEGGY: Ask you're okay with that? >> I am okay with that.
I want it done right and so nobody has questions when it's done.
We have all the facts on the table and the decisions are based on the facts and not on
politics or emotions. >> PEGGY: Meaning while Edison said last week
in the nuclear regulatory commission does not grant them permission to restart soon,
they may shutdown one or both reactors, what factors go into that decision?
>> Well, unit 3 and unit 2 are now different from the steam generators, and the problems
in unit 3 are such that they would be expensive to bring back so the decision to shut it down
will probably be easier. Unit 2, the longer it's down will be more
expensive to bring back, so what is the cutoff point beyond which it pays to bring it back
>> PEGGY: And they said they may not wait for the commission.
>>> Probably not, we have had experience with unit 1 on this item and it took a long time
and it was very expensive. >> PEGGY: Prior to going off line, I read
that at full capacity San Onofre plant could power more than a million homes.
What impact would shutting down San Onofre have on San Diego power usage?
>> I'm pretty sure the same affect that it had last summer and this summer.
We don't have it now. Impacts will continue, we put in power links,
there is a large plant being put online that Edison is going to be buying the power for,
SDG&E is making its own plans, they're not walk in lock step quite as much as they were
at first with Edison, nobody wants to admit anything is wrong but Mr.�Claver did in
the last earnings call say that repairs could take five years and their license is up in
2022 >> PEGGY: Cost effective to repair them and
the long term impact? >> I think it's cost effective to bring unit
2 back now, I have any doubts about unit 3. From a risk standpoint I would be concerned
about the reliability of San Diego, we're at the end of the line for everybody's power
delivery system so I like having a producer near San Diego so that's why I like it.
>> PEGGY: Murray Jennex and Rochelle Becker thank you both so much.