It's wise to be concerned about the Mexican Nuclear Plants. About 14 years ago, I used to travel to all the Nuclear Plants in the U.S. and Mexico for business. I remember seeing them putting up the containment building at the Vera Cruz site. When they had holes in there concrete forms, they would patch them with Dos Equix cans(spelled wrong - it's that great Mexican beer.) At the time, I got to know the QA and QC guys on the site; talk about a frustrating job! We used to laugh about the end of Texas when this plant fired up. It doesn't seem so funny anymore. This is a serious problem that the United States should be addressing.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 1998

Answers

Meg, let's carry your thoughts a little farther. Assume you're right and the Mexican nuclear plants are not built with the same safety specification levels as plants in the U.S. are. What exactly is it that you think the United States should be doing about it? Mexico is a sovereign nation, not under the control of the U.S. We might be able to inquire through diplomatic channels if the Mexican nuclear plants are being remediated and are safe. The Mexican government would likely reply with a diplomatic version of "Si, no problema." We certainly can't march an inspection team in there to verify.

The Russians have already admitted they will "fix on failure" in regards to their nuclear generating facilities and we've had to accept that. Is it different with Mexico? Could our government threaten economic sanctions somehow tied to proof of remediation? Most of our own utilities have been working on this problem for two years or more and are still projecting just critical systems will be fixed by 2000. Can U.S. pressure ensure a fix is in for the Mexican plants with a year left to go? Or should the U.S. demand the Mexican plants be taken off-line and somehow convince the Mexican government that depriving their own citizens of electric power is a safer option? Our government could suggest that, but the choice will still be up to the powers-that-be in Mexico, not in Washington, D.C. And what if the Mexican and Canadian governments start making demands because they've heard those U.S. nukes aren't ready? I am not belittling your concerns, and if you have viable options I haven't been able to think of, I sincerely want to hear them. I simply believe that just as some things are out of an individual's control, so also are some things out of a government's control.

This situation points out one of the many ways in which the Year 2000 problem is global. Even if the United States achieved complete remediation (long admitted an impossibility and remediation for just critical systems is now in doubt) we are still vulnerable to any failures outside of our own country. Our own Y2K "Czar" Mr. Koskinen has admitted there are serious concerns regarding other countries which are doing little or nothing in Y2K remediation. If nothing else, this is reason enough to conclude that we *will* be impacted by Y2K failures even if they don't come from within our own country. I urge anyone reading this forum to consider the global implications, not only of nuclear electrical generation, but of shipping, telecommunications, manufacturing, and air transportation. Then research the options available for personal preparations and do that which is in your power to do.

-- Anonymous, December 19, 1998