A MAJOR DEFEAT

The awsome record stood for a whole week. The following week it was surpassed with 45.459 billion kWh. And it was broken again for the week ended January 22 (the latest figures we have), with an unheard-of 45.639 billion kWh.

The week included the morning of Monday, January 17. That morning, the US faced a crisis-beyond the grasp of the ozone-layer warriors and the cocktail-party Cassandras.

The power was running out. A black-out from Michigan to Virginia threatened not a little fun like in November 1965, but a deadly blackout in the deep freeze, with massive loss of life.

11,000 MW of capacity was down on scheduled maintenance; and another 9,000 MW stood helpless, because coal piles had frozen, or because the desperately awaited coal or oil was on barges immobilized in the ice of the Ohio river. Appeals went out to industrial consumers to cut back demand. Dayton Power & Light was down to 50% capacity. Parts of Virginia, Georgia and Florida vent black for periods of an hour or more. Like a horse that slows down before it collapses under the load, the 60-cycle frequency of the power net began to sag from Indiana to Virginia.

What saved the 90% coal-fired East Central States from disaster that icy morning?

Nuclear power did. From Illinois, from New York and from New England, the life-giving juice flowed in. Chicago's Commonwealth Edison, with 40% of capacity the nation's most nuclear utility, increased its nuclear output to 48% and came through. All of New England's nuclear plants, "unsafe, uneconomic, unreliable and unnecessary," were on line providing 30% of the region's output and came through. Beleaguered Con Edison of Near York reduced its voltage by 5% so it could export; Indian Point, the thorn in the Penthouse Proletariat's flesh, came through, as did the nuclear plants of Niagara Mohawk and Rochester G & E.

Nuclear power, what little had survived the vicious onslaught by an intellectualoid elite, had bailed out the eastern half of the country. Nader, Brower, Ottinger and Gravel had suffered a major defeat: Thousands of people had stayed alive.