LOS ANGELES--The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on March 27 ordered a ban on the restart of the San Onofre nuclear generating station in southern California until the cause of a problem, which led to a reactor shutdown, is identified.
LOS ANGELES--The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on March 27 ordered a ban on the restart of the San Onofre nuclear generating station in southern California until the cause of a problem, which led to a reactor shutdown, is identified.
The Los Angeles Times said the steam generators at the San Onofre plant were manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. They have already succumbed to tube wear although they were installed only about two years ago, the U.S. newspaper said.
The heavily populated region, including the suburbs of Los Angeles, may face a power shortage if the shutdown continues into peak demand during the summer.
Southern California Edison Co. (SCE), the plant operator, and other relevant parties began discussing measures to avoid that scenario.
SCE supplies power to more than 14 million residents in southern California.
At the San Onofre plant, one nuclear power reactor underwent an emergency shutdown on Jan. 31 after indications of a water leak from a broken steam generator tube were found. The leak may also have involved a small amount of radioactive substances.
The NRC banned the restart of the reactor, and the restart of another reactor that had been shut down on Jan. 9 for a regular inspection, until "the cause of the tube wear ... is understood and appropriately addressed in order to ensure safe operation."
The San Onofre plant, located slightly more than 100 kilometers to the south of central Los Angeles, has a total output capacity of 2.2 gigawatts. By comparison, the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has a total output capacity of 4.696 gigawatts.