nuclear-news

NRC refuses environmentalists’request to amend SanOnofre’s operating license

 The NRC has said the approval process will continue into 2013, meaning the nuclear plant will not be restarted anytime soon.

Feds deny group’s request for San Onofre nuclear plant license amendment 89.3 KPCC By Ed Joyce | November 8th, 2012,  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission turned down a request Thursday from an environmental group that wanted the operating license for the San Onofre nuclear plant amended.

Friends of the Earth  said the license granted to Southern California Edison (SCE), which operates the plant, should have been amended when new generators were installed two years ago.

The group claims those new generators were a different type of design
than what was in the original operating permit for the San Onofre
Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).

But the NRC turned down the petition.

Bill Walker with Friends of the Earth said the NRC decision was
“complicated” and said via email that the group is assessing its
response to the action.

SCE had opposed the FOE petition on the grounds that granting it would
violate well-established procedural practices at the commission.

In a news release  after the decision, SCE said it supported the NRC
decision……
Friends of the Earth (FOE)  and other anti-nuclear activists say the plant is unsafe, is costing ratepayers millions of dollars and should be shutdown permanently.

The California Public Utilities Commission  (CPUC) is conducting an
investigation into whether ratepayers – customers of SCE – should foot
the bill for repairs and costs related to the nine-month shutdown.
Edison said recently those costs are $317 million. The CPUC said the
investigation could take more than one year to complete.

SONGS has been in complete shutdown mode since a radioactive steam
leak from one of its two reactor units on January 31, 2012.
Inspections found unusual wear on steam generator tubes in both units.

SCE has submitted a plan to the NRC to restart one of the damaged
reactor units at limited power for a short time period. There is no
plan to restart the other damaged unit.

The NRC has said the approval process will continue into 2013, meaning the nuclear plant will not be restarted anytime soon.
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/news/2012/11/08/10983/feds-consider-san-onofre-nuclear-plant-license-iss/

November 9, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general