Electric Power Plants

For 40 years, my Dad worked in electric power plant operations. He worked for the former Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, which had six power generation plants including one nuclear. Dad worked at the Avon Lake Plant, the largest in N.E. Ohio.

During the boom times when automotive and other manufacturing expanded rapidly, there was great demand for electric power to run the plants. A stable eclectic supply was crucial.

The A.L. plant was located on the shores of Lake Erie, which provided ample water needed for the steam operations.

When I was a boy, my Dad would take me on a tour of the plant many times. I found it enormously interesting. The men who worked there were very nice. I recall that when Mom and I would arrive, they would let me use the PA system to call my Dad. I would say "Dad, I am here."

With the backdrop of the crisis at the Fukushima plant in Japan, I recall the intricacies of an electric power plant. Dad and I would talk about these all of the time. When the first explosion happened, I knew there was going to be trouble. One theory put forth is the number of cascading problems at the Fukushima plant are cumulative, meaning that perhaps there is a point of no return.

My experience through the eyes of Dad would confirm this theory.