June 5, 1974 (8 pages)

The electric energy problem here in -California is simply a matter of oil and natural gas shortages. The problem is going to plague us for some time to. come. unless other forms of energy are used. The solution is to use energy wisely and to build more nuclear power plants. Nuclear plants are safe. They are practical. . They are economical. They are environmentally clean, But they taketime to build—about ten years. ig There's no mystery about nuclear power plants. There are 44 operating in the United . States; more than that among other nations of the world. There are morc than 100 nuclearpowered ships in the U.S. Navy; even more in other ficcts. The nuclear industry has hundreds of reactor ycars of successful operating experience. The technology is proven. Some people have questions about nuclear power. Some people give incorrect answers to those questions. We at PG&E have had long experience with nuclear plants. We belicve firmly in them. So do other utilities, world-wide. both government-ownced and investor-owned. And so does the overwhelming majority of the scientific community. <= Brownouts and blackouts can happen here. AND THE FUEL SHORTAGE At present most of PG&E's stcamelectric powcr plants burn scarce and very expensive low-sulfur oil to gencrate electricity. We will have ta buy about 20 million barrels this year and 35 million next year to mect our customers’ electric energy needs. Our two-unit Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, now under construction in San Luis Obispo County. will displace a need for an additional 24 million barrels of oil every year in the future. Delays in construction schedules of these and other nuclear units—delays, for a variety of reasons, over which utilities gencrally have little control—have had much to do with bringing about today's clectric energy © problems in California. While nuclear power plants cannot solve the problem immediately, they can in time. As more comc into service, they will free up large amounts of oil, significantly alleviating the aggravating long-range fucl shortage — gasoline and all. . : NUCLEAR POWER "AND SAFETY ~ The safety record of commercial nuclear powcr plants is unmatched in industrial history. Safety systems and their back-up systems function efficiently. There have been no nuclearcaused deaths. Not even. significant injury. (For comparison, about 54.000 Amcricans are killed every year in auto accidents: 3.000 dic choking on food: 160 are killed by lightning: ) Actually, fissionable nuclear fuel for wer plants is very dilute—so.dilute that it’s’ impossible to ¢reate an atomic explosion in a. nuclear reactor. é ~ With all the safeguards that are built into cach nuclear power plant. the chance.of a major accident is about onc in a million, ° Ny a Thousands of men work and live safely on nuclear-powered subs.NUCLEAR WASTE. WHAT HAPPENS TO IT? When nuclear fuel is used, nuclear ‘ waste is created. But more than 95 per cent of the original fuel is recycled for re-use. The remaining waste is small —so small that such waste from a large nuclear unit operating for 30 years could be contained in a space no larger than a two-car garage. The waste is radioactive: but is treated as such. Very carefully. Safety first. Used fucl is sealed in heavilyshielded, leak-tight casks and shipped ; toa facility which’specializes in nuclear fuel reprocessing. Every safety precaution is taken toinsure that no leakage occurs. Shipping and handling are carried out under strict regulations of the AEC and @&c U.S. Department of Transportation. After processing, the residual waste will be solidified and placed in secure, longterm storage under rigid government control. NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND MARINE LIFE P Some people have voiced concern because some power plants discharge warm water back into natural water bodies. These power plants — whether nuclear or fossil-fucled — usc cooling water in steam condensers. In a nuclearplant the cooling water is only about 19° warmer when returned to its source, and otherwise is harmless. Where the water source is large enough and cold enough to receive and assimilate it, like the Pacific Ocean, it has no significant adverse effect on marine life. The © only appreciable change is that in the immediate water discharge area the balance between warm witter species and cold water species of marinc life may shift in favor of those liking warmer water. In fact. after 24 years of scientific study and many morc years of operating expericnce. it is clearly established that marine life near PG&E power plants tends to be more plentiful than it was originally. fine nuclear pellets produce as much energy. as 30 barrels il NUCLEAR POWER\ CLEAN, ECONOMICAL For both environmental and economic reasons, nuclear power is the solution to the electrical energy problem. Most hydroelectric power resources are already developed: Fossil-fucled steam electric plants consume scarce and increasingly costly oil and natural gas. Barring technological breakthroughs, geothermal energy can meet only a small part of future power needs. Fusion power-is decades away. And other pos¥ ‘WH! FARPOWERISTHE SOLUTION TO THE ENERGY PROBLEM. Wed., June 5,1974 The Nevada County Nugget 3 : \ * . sible sources of energy, such as solar, tidal and wind. power, are in experimental stages of development, and the latter two may never become practical for large-scale use. Coal can supply ., some help in California over the short run. But nuclear energy is the power source which has arrived. Nuclear power is economical. For example, the clectricity produced at PG&E's . Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant for $2.00 would cost $17.20 at a plant burning low-sulfur oil, at today’s fucl prices. : ~Moreover, nuclear power gencration is clean. Unlike burned fuels, it releases no combustion products into the environment. NUCLEAR POWER AND INSURANCE Some people say that private insurance * companies won't cover a nuclear powcr plant. That's false. Private companics ptovide $110 million:worth:of liability insurance for each nuclear power reactor location. There have been no claims against nuclear power reactors In fact, the insurance companies have been refunding part of the premiums paid by the utilities. sx In addition, utilities pay the federal Bs. ' government for ; indemnity insurance coverage of $450 million for cach reactor location. The federal indemnity _ program was created by Congress in 1957 (Price-Anderson Act) to help encourage development.of a nuclear power industry in the U.S. Tt has been good business for the taxpayers. And it gives the public greater protection than separate homeowncr insurance policies could provide. That's one of the reasons why your home owner policies have a nuclear exclusion clause. The government has collected millions in indemnity payments from utilities — about $90,000 a year per large reactor —and has never paid out one cent. No.claim has ever been filed. NUCLEAR POWER _ _ AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST Once of the big PG&E nuclear units at Diablo Canyon is planned for service next year, and the other unit in 1976. But it will take about ten years to build additional nuclear capacity — including the time it takes.to find and acquire suitable sites and obtain clearances and approvals from more than 30 governmental and public agencics. ce Every year of delay exposes all of us to shortuges and higher rates, and further drains our diminishing fossil fucl resources. The energy problem simply must be solved. and nuclear power will go a long way toward solving it. Electrical energy is essential to everybody, and especially to the young people who will be forming families and needing jobs. We don't intend to relax in our efforts to provide adequate and reliable service for all ‘our customers in the fature. just as we have provided it in the past. You can help now by conserving energy at home and on the job. If you or anyone you know would like more information on nuclear power, PG&E will’ be pleased to provide it. Just write: PG&E Nuclear Information. 77 Beale Street. San Francisco. California 94106. — PGE ’ va

The electric energy problem here in -California is simply a matter of oil and natural gas shortages. The problem is going to plague us for some time to. come. unless other forms of energy are used. The solution is to use energy wisely and to build more nuclear power plants. Nuclear plants are safe. They are practical. . They are economical. They are environmentally clean, But they taketime to build—about ten years. ig There's no mystery about nuclear power plants. There are 44 operating in the United . States; more than that among other nations of the world. There are morc than 100 nuclearpowered ships in the U.S. Navy; even more in other ficcts. The nuclear industry has hundreds of reactor ycars of successful operating experience. The technology is proven. Some people have questions about nuclear power. Some people give incorrect answers to those questions. We at PG&E have had long experience with nuclear plants. We belicve firmly in them. So do other utilities, world-wide. both government-ownced and investor-owned. And so does the overwhelming majority of the scientific community. <= Brownouts and blackouts can happen here. AND THE FUEL SHORTAGE At present most of PG&E's stcamelectric powcr plants burn scarce and very expensive low-sulfur oil to gencrate electricity. We will have ta buy about 20 million barrels this year and 35 million next year to mect our customers’ electric energy needs. Our two-unit Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, now under construction in San Luis Obispo County. will displace a need for an additional 24 million barrels of oil every year in the future. Delays in construction schedules of these and other nuclear units—delays, for a variety of reasons, over which utilities gencrally have little control—have had much to do with bringing about today's clectric energy © problems in California. While nuclear power plants cannot solve the problem immediately, they can in time. As more comc into service, they will free up large amounts of oil, significantly alleviating the aggravating long-range fucl shortage — gasoline and all. . : NUCLEAR POWER "AND SAFETY ~ The safety record of commercial nuclear powcr plants is unmatched in industrial history. Safety systems and their back-up systems function efficiently. There have been no nuclearcaused deaths. Not even. significant injury. (For comparison, about 54.000 Amcricans are killed every year in auto accidents: 3.000 dic choking on food: 160 are killed by lightning: ) Actually, fissionable nuclear fuel for wer plants is very dilute—so.dilute that it’s’ impossible to ¢reate an atomic explosion in a. nuclear reactor. é ~ With all the safeguards that are built into cach nuclear power plant. the chance.of a major accident is about onc in a million, ° Ny a Thousands of men work and live safely on nuclear-powered subs.NUCLEAR WASTE. WHAT HAPPENS TO IT? When nuclear fuel is used, nuclear ‘ waste is created. But more than 95 per cent of the original fuel is recycled for re-use. The remaining waste is small —so small that such waste from a large nuclear unit operating for 30 years could be contained in a space no larger than a two-car garage. The waste is radioactive: but is treated as such. Very carefully. Safety first. Used fucl is sealed in heavilyshielded, leak-tight casks and shipped ; toa facility which’specializes in nuclear fuel reprocessing. Every safety precaution is taken toinsure that no leakage occurs. Shipping and handling are carried out under strict regulations of the AEC and @&c U.S. Department of Transportation. After processing, the residual waste will be solidified and placed in secure, longterm storage under rigid government control. NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND MARINE LIFE P Some people have voiced concern because some power plants discharge warm water back into natural water bodies. These power plants — whether nuclear or fossil-fucled — usc cooling water in steam condensers. In a nuclearplant the cooling water is only about 19° warmer when returned to its source, and otherwise is harmless. Where the water source is large enough and cold enough to receive and assimilate it, like the Pacific Ocean, it has no significant adverse effect on marine life. The © only appreciable change is that in the immediate water discharge area the balance between warm witter species and cold water species of marinc life may shift in favor of those liking warmer water. In fact. after 24 years of scientific study and many morc years of operating expericnce. it is clearly established that marine life near

PG&E power plants tends to be more plentiful than it was originally. fine nuclear pellets produce as much energy. as 30 barrels il NUCLEAR POWER\ CLEAN, ECONOMICAL For both environmental and economic reasons, nuclear power is the solution to the electrical energy problem. Most hydroelectric power resources are already developed: Fossil-fucled steam electric plants consume scarce and increasingly costly oil and natural gas. Barring technological breakthroughs, geothermal energy can meet only a small part of future power needs. Fusion power-is decades away. And other pos¥ ‘WH! FARPOWERISTHE SOLUTION TO THE ENERGY PROBLEM. Wed., June 5,1974 The Nevada County Nugget 3 : \ * . sible sources of energy, such as solar, tidal and wind. power, are in experimental stages of development, and the latter two may never become practical for large-scale use. Coal can supply ., some help in California over the short run. But nuclear energy is the power source which has arrived. Nuclear power is economical. For example, the clectricity produced at PG&E's . Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant for $2.00 would cost $17.20 at a plant burning low-sulfur oil, at today’s fucl prices. : ~Moreover, nuclear power gencration is clean. Unlike burned fuels, it releases no combustion products into the environment. NUCLEAR POWER AND INSURANCE Some people say that private insurance * companies won't cover a nuclear powcr plant. That's false. Private companics ptovide $110 million:worth:of liability insurance for each nuclear power reactor location. There have been no claims against nuclear power reactors In fact, the insurance companies have been refunding part of the premiums paid by the utilities. sx In addition, utilities pay the federal Bs. ' government for ; indemnity insurance coverage of $450 million for cach reactor location. The federal indemnity _ program was created by Congress in 1957 (Price-Anderson Act) to help encourage development.of a nuclear power industry in the U.S. Tt has been good business for the taxpayers. And it gives the public greater protection than separate homeowncr insurance policies could provide. That's one of the reasons why your home owner policies have a nuclear exclusion clause. The government has collected millions in indemnity payments from utilities — about $90,000 a year per large reactor —and has never paid out one cent. No.claim has ever been filed. NUCLEAR POWER _ _ AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST Once of the big PG&E nuclear units at Diablo Canyon is planned for service next year, and the other unit in 1976. But it will take about ten years to build additional nuclear capacity — including the time it takes.to find and acquire suitable sites and obtain clearances and approvals from more than 30 governmental and public agencics. ce Every year of delay exposes all of us to shortuges and higher rates, and further drains our diminishing fossil fucl resources. The energy problem simply must be solved. and nuclear power will go a long way toward solving it. Electrical energy is essential to everybody, and especially to the young people who will be forming families and needing jobs. We don't intend to relax in our efforts to provide adequate and reliable service for all ‘our customers in the fature. just as we have provided it in the past. You can help now by conserving energy at home and on the job. If you or anyone you know would like more information on nuclear power, PG&E will’ be pleased to provide it. Just write: PG&E Nuclear Information. 77 Beale Street. San Francisco. California 94106. — PGE ’ va