Possible Leak Shuts Down Reactor at San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant

SFGate / January 31, 2012

A reactor at the San Onofre nuclear power plant was shut down Tuesday because of a possible leak, but there is no imminent danger, utility operators said.

Sensors at the plant detected a possible leak in one of Unit 3’s steam generator tubes, Southern California Edison spokesman Gil Alexander said. Even if a leak is confirmed, it would pose no danger to the public or plant workers, he said.

No release has been made into the atmosphere, he added.

“It is not a major leak. It has not risen to the level where it would cause the unit to automatically shut down,” Alexander told U-T San Diego. “But as a precaution we’re shutting the unit down to go in and inspect.”

Unit 2 of the nuclear plant is currently offline for maintenance and upgrade.  The utility said it has ample power to meet customer needs while Unit 3 is offline.

Once the problem is resolved it will still take several days before the reactor comes back online because of an elaborate start-up procedure for nuclear plants, the U-T reported.

The plant is owned by Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and the City of Riverside. Southern California Edison serves nearly 14 million residents with electricity in Central and Southern California.

Editor: Here is the U-T report.