All of Lahaina will be able to sleep easier tonight after officials released more details about a frightening incident at the Thorcon Power Plant yesterday. 31-year-old Gary Puniwale was taken into custody after entering one of the plant’s control rooms, causing a partial shutdown, and panic across the island. While rumors of a possible terror attack caused understandable concern to nearby residents, authorities now say the reason for Puniwale’s unauthorized access was much more benign. According to their report, the Lahaina native was simply trying to charge his phone.
The Thorcon Plant has become one of Lahaina’s most popular attractions since being retrofitted to use element 127 (Unbiseptium) last year. Despite the concerns of many, plant officials said the switch to the controversial fuel would make the plant much safer and more efficient. Tours of the facility began soon after to help allay any fears, and demonstrate the safety of the plant. Thorcon’s Resident Site Manager Davis Carnot says Puniwale was part of one such tour.
“I can now confirm that the subject in question was able to slip away from his tour group yesterday, and somehow gained access to a control room on the lower level. Residents around the plant were never in any danger, and we are reviewing video currently to ascertain how Mr. Puniwale was able to wander away unnoticed, and enter the area. We are working closely with federal authorities and investigators to make sure nothing like this happens again, and are installing new safety and security protocols. While we believe that 127 is the key to the future of power production, we’d like to remind the public, and Gary in particular, that it will not charge your electronic devices any faster than traditional charging options. Frankly, I’m amazed that someone with the understanding and insight of Mr. Puniwale is allowed to walk around without a handler.”
Although Puniwale’s unauthorized entrance into a sensitive area seems to be a result of profound stupidity instead of malicious intent, it is little relief to some who remain concerned about the safety of the plant. Tim Durney, former investigator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and founder of the watchdog group VeilWatch, was one of the most vocal critics of the plants move to 127. He says that the incident highlights some of the security concerns he has been warning the public about, and hopes that this incident serves as a wake-up call for those still on the fence about the safety of 127.
He says, “I’m the first to admit that it is highly unlikely anyone else as witless as Gary exists, let alone could navigate the ticket purchasing process necessary to take a tour of the plant, but there are those who wish to do harm to as many as possible out there. It’s those people gaining access to controls at the Thorcon that keep me up at night. I’ve seen firsthand the devastating effect a 127 accident can have. I hate to think about what someone with evil intent could have done in Gary’s position. If the plant had a 127 release half as big as the Veilcorp breach in Iowa, it would destroy virtually all of Lahaina. The public deserves to know just how deadly this plant in their backyard is, and we are launching a new campaign to do just that. I hope Gary’s bumbling can lead to a greater awareness in the public, and make everyone in Lahaina think about what they are living next to.”
While Durney says that more public awareness would lead to a plant shutdown, it is public announcements and news stories about the plant that Puniwale says made him interested in the facility in the first place. Gary says he now understands why his actions caused such a severe response, and apologizes for the trouble he caused.
“My knowledge about the do’s and don’ts while you’re touring a nuclear power plant wasn’t that great, but believe me, I’ve gotten the message loud and clear. I wouldn’t recommend entering a secure location inside a 127 plant to see if it could charge your phone super-fast to anyone, but I will say I’ve learned a lot over the past 24 hours. In fact, if you take away the yelling, and the threats about far away black sites, I think interrogation might be a great way to teach someone about a subject in a very short time. I feel like I have a much better understanding about how serious those “restricted area” signs are, and how the electricity inside a power plant isn’t any “stronger” than what you have at home. I apologize again, and promise not to do anything to trouble my Lahaina neighbors in the future.
