加州最後一座核電廠前途未卜

At a gathering of nuclear professionals and enthusiasts in Anaheim, California, a couple of months ago, the tenor of the conversations about the Diablo Canyon Power Plant — California’s last operating nuclear reactor — turned inconceivably hopeful.

數月前，在加州安那罕一場核專業人士與愛好者的聚會上，關於加州最後一座正在運行的核電廠魔鬼谷電廠的討論基調，變得不可思議地充滿希望。

The American Nuclear Society’s convention, held for four days in the shadow of Mickey Mouse, could not have picked a better venue to uplift spirits. And no one flashed a bigger grin than Gene Nelson, a standout not just for his towering height but also for his signature headbands and his yearslong campaign to keep Diablo Canyon running beyond a planned shutdown by the end of 2025.

這場在米老鼠陰影下舉行4天的美國核子學會大會，沒有比這更好的地方來振奮精神。沒有人比吉恩．尼爾森笑得更開心了。他引人注目，不只因為高大的身材，還有他的招牌髮帶，以及他多年來一直努力，希望讓預計2025年底關閉的魔鬼谷電廠能持續運轉。

“I thought our chances were zero,” Nelson, a government liaison for Californians for Green Nuclear Power, told the conference attendees about the effort to maintain nuclear power in the state. “What has happened since then, it’s been like a snowball.”

尼爾森是「加州人挺綠色核能」組織的政府聯絡員，他向與會者報告加州維持核能的行動說：「我還以為我們沒機會了，從那之後發生的事情就像滾雪球一樣。」

Pushing that snowball is Gov. Gavin Newsom. Although it seemed improbable that Diablo Canyon’s supporters could overcome the numerous challenges to maintain the plant’s operations, a lot has changed and those hurdles appear to be getting swallowed up in the growing clean energy movement.

推動這個雪球的是州長紐森。儘管魔鬼谷的支持者似乎不太可能克服眾多挑戰來維持電廠運作，但很多事情已發生變化，而且那些障礙顯然正被日益增長的清潔能源運動消除。

Last month, Newsom proposed a measure that would provide a forgivable loan of $1.4 billion to the plant’s owner to help resolve permitting, licensing and cost issues. The California Assembly would need to pass the legislation and have it signed in September to make the whole idea possible.

上個月，紐森提出一項措施，將向電廠擁有者提供14億美元可免除貸款，幫忙解決許可、發照及成本問題。加州議會將必須透過這項立法，並於9月簽署，才能讓整個想法成為可能。

In addition, the U.S. Energy Department made $6 billion available to nuclear plant owners to help keep existing facilities operating.

此外，美國能源部向核電廠擁有者提供60億美元，協助維持現有設施運作。

Gunda presented during a public conversation last month about the prospect of continuing the operations at Diablo, which produces about 9% of the state’s electricity.

上月一次公開談話中，加州能源委員會成員之一席瓦．岡達談及魔鬼谷繼續運作的前景。魔鬼谷發電量約占該州發電量的9%。

Even authors of a Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology report supporting the extension of Diablo Canyon noted that one of the two units had to be taken offline in 2020, the last time California experienced rolling blackouts. That has prompted some to urge caution.

就連史丹福大學和麻省理工學院一份支持魔鬼谷延役報告的作者也指出，兩座機組其中之一在2020年必須停機時，就是加州最近一次經歷輪流停電之時。這促使一些人呼籲要謹慎行事。

“I was a little bit heartbroken by the governor’s proposal,” said Najmedin Meshkati, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California who has inspected many nuclear plants throughout the world. “The word safety is only mentioned once in passing. They really need to bend over backward and go the extra mile to ensure the safety and reliability issues.”

曾赴世界許多核電廠視察的南加大工程學教授納吉米丁．梅許卡蒂說：「州長的提議讓我有點心碎。安全這個字只順便提到一次。他們真的必須盡力且付出更多努力，來確保安全性和可靠性的問題。」

疫後藝人重返舞台 觀眾仍未回座

Patti LuPone, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig came back to Broadway. Dancers filled stages, symphonies reverberated in concert halls and international theater companies returned to American stages.

佩蒂盧彭、休傑克曼、丹尼爾克雷格回到百老匯。舞者登上舞台，交響樂在音樂廳內迴盪，國際劇團重返美國舞台。

The resumption of live performance after the long pandemic shutdown brought plenty to cheer about over the past year. But from regional theaters to Broadway, and from local orchestras to grand opera houses, performing arts organizations are reporting persistent drops in attendance.

經歷長時間疫情封鎖後，現場演出得以恢復，這在過去一年裡帶來很多歡呼，但從地方劇院到百老匯，從地方管弦樂隊到大型歌劇院，演藝組織均報告說，觀眾人數持續下滑。

Many presenters anticipate that the softer box office will extend into the upcoming season and perhaps beyond. And some fear that the virus is accelerating long-term trends that have troubled arts organizations for years, including softer ticket sales for many classical music events, the decline of the subscription model for selling tickets at many performing arts organizations, and the increasing tendency among consumers to purchase tickets at the last minute.

許多出品人預期，疲弱票房將延續到下一季，甚至更久。一些人擔心，病毒正讓困擾藝術機構多年的長期趨勢加速，包括許多古典音樂活動門票銷售疲軟，許多演藝團體銷售門票的訂閱模式正逐步下滑，以及消費者愈來愈傾向於最後一刻購票。

The concert industry, which attracts younger patrons than many other performing arts sectors, has been a real bright spot. Live Nation, the global concert giant, recently reported that it had sold 100 million tickets for the full year, more than in 2019.

與其他表演藝術領域相比，吸引更年輕顧客的演唱會產業一直是個真正亮點。全球演唱會產業龍頭Live Nation近來公布財報表示，該公司全年賣出1億張門票，比2019年多。

But scattered hits and crowded concerts can distract from the reality that, for most classical and theatrical institutions and shows, attendance is down, ticket prices are depressed, productions are fewer, and memberships or subscriptions have fallen.

然而，零星的叫座演出和擁擠的演唱會，可能會分散人們對現實的注意力。對大多數古典和戲劇單位及秀場來說，觀眾數下跌、票價下降、製作減少、會員或訂閱人數下滑。

Broadway offers the most obvious (and stark) evidence of diminished attendance and its economic consequences. During the 2021-22 season, which started slow and late as the industry gradually reopened, there were 6,860 performances seen by 6.7 million people, grossing $845 million. By contrast, during the 2018-19 season, the last full season before the pandemic, there were 13,590 performances seen by 14.8 million people, grossing $1.8 billion.

百老匯提供了最明顯（且赤裸裸）的證據，證明觀眾減少及其造成的經濟後果。由於這個產業緩步重啟，2021至22演出季較慢且較晚開始，這一季有6860場演出，670萬人觀看，票房收入8.45億美元。相較之下，2018至19年，也就是疫情爆發前最後一個完整演出季，共有1萬3590場演出，1480萬人觀看，票房收入18億美元。

Even far from Broadway, numbers are mostly down.

即便在遠離百老匯的地方，數字也大多是下滑的。

“I’d be a liar if I said I was happy,” said Brian Kelsey, managing director of Peninsula Players Theatre in Door County, Wisconsin. “I don’t know if people are out of the habit or unaware or if the clientele that had come is now more interested in outdoor beer gardens, I just know that we’re definitely seeing a downturn.”

威斯康辛州多爾郡半島演員劇院總經理布萊恩．凱爾西表示：「如果我說我很高興，那我就是在說謊。我不知道人們是出於習慣還是沒意識到，還是曾來過的客人現在對戶外啤酒花園更感興趣，我只知道我們絕對見證了景氣低迷。」