California
blackouts possible with nuke plant offline
Southern
California utility officials are warning that blackouts in the region
are possible this summer as a result of the sidelined San Onofre
nuclear power plant
8
June, 2012
The
damaged plant is likely to remain sidelined until at least the end of
August while investigators probe excessive wear in tubing that
carries radioactive water, the plant's operator said Thursday.
The
officials say that if a heat wave hits while the twin-reactor plant
is offline, rotating blackouts are a possibility. Utilities have been
scrambling to find replacement power as a precaution, including
restarting two retired natural gas-fired plants in Orange County.
Southern
California Edison said in a statement that the company plans by the
end of July to submit a plan to federal regulators to restart the
Unit 2 reactor, where damage to tubes in its steam generators has
been less severe than in its twin, Unit 3.
A
proposal to restart either reactor must be approved by the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, and that review could take weeks or longer.
Edison
spokeswoman Jennifer Manfre said it's likely the plant between San
Diego and Los Angeles will remain shuttered at least through August.
The
trouble began to unfold in January, when the Unit 3 reactor was shut
down as a precaution after a tube break. Traces of radiation escaped
at the time, but officials said there was no danger to workers or
neighbors. Unit 2 had been taken offline earlier that month for
maintenance, but investigators later found unexpected wear on
hundreds of tubes in both units.
Gradual
wear is common in such tubing, but the rate of erosion in some tubes
at San Onofre alarmed officials since the generators are relatively
new. The company has said 1,300 tubes will be taken out of service,
although the number is well within the margin to allow the generators
to keep operating.
The
company has found that the tube wear is being caused by vibration and
friction with adjacent tubes and bracing, but investigators have yet
to say why that's happening or how they will fix it.
Edison
initially targeted a June restart for at least one of the twin
reactors. A tentative plan called for restarting and running the
seaside reactors at lower power, at least for several months, because
engineers believe that will ease vibration that could be eroding
tubes.
The
NRC has said there is no timetable to restart the reactors, which
were replaced in 2009 and 2010 in a $670 million overhaul.
About
7.4 million Californians live within 50 miles of San Onofre, which
can power 1.4 million homes.
Safety
issues at the plant have attracted congressional scrutiny, and some
officials in nearby communities have been calling for San Onofre to
shut down permanently. The Irvine City Council urged the NRC to
thoroughly review safety conditions at the plant before it is
considered for relicensing in 2022.
Edison
has said safety for the public and its employees is the company's top
concern.
The
plant is owned by SCE, San Diego Gas & Electric and the city of
Riverside. The Unit 1 reactor operated from 1968 to 1992, when it was
shut down and dismantled.
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