nuclear-news

Are California’s 2 active nuclear plants safe from earthquakes?

Both studies should help decide if California’s two active nuclear plants are safe enough to operate into the 2040s

San Onofre’s Seismic Study to Play Role in Nuclear Plant’s Future The nuclear generating station has been offline since January. Southern California Edison is considering whether to re-license or shut down San Onofre after 2022. Poway Patch, April 27, 2012 Operators of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station are about to embark on a costly study on earthquake risk that could determine the future of the plant, it was reported Friday.

Southern California Edison, which operates the troubled plant just north of Camp Pendleton, is expected to spend $64 million on the seismic study, U-T San Diego reported. The study will focus on little-understood offshore faults and the risks they pose to the
plant’s aging reactors, which have been shut down since earlier this year.

San Onofre’s two reactors, referred to as Unit 2 and Unit 3, have been
offline since late January. Unit 1 was in operation from 1968 to 1992,
when it was shut down over fears it would not withstand a major
earthquake.

Unit 2 was taken down for planned maintenance Jan. 9 and Unit 3 was shut down abruptly on Jan. 31 after a small leak in one of the reactor’s steam generator tubes was detected….. A seismic study similar to the one that will be conducted at San Onofre by Southern
California Edison is already underway at the coastal Diablo Canyon plant in San Luis Obispo County. It is being conducted by Pacific Gas & Electric.

Both studies should help decide if California’s two active nuclear plants are safe enough to operate into the 2040s, U-T San Diego
reported.

Currently, Southern California Edison is considering whether to
re-license or shut down San Onofre after 2022.
http://poway.patch.com/articles/san-onofre-nuclear-power-plant-sdge-japan-tsunami

April 30, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA