Problems at San Onofre nuclear power plant fuel pump concerns

In recent months, Southland have hammered by rising gas prices, residents, falling house prices and much uncertainty about the global economy.

These factors alone would be enough stress to someone. Southern California Edison San Onofre nuclear power plant has however about an another wrinkle to the equation.

The troubled plant on the California coast was for about two months was shut down. And it will remain by the Commission until investigators determine the cause of excessive wear on hundreds of pipes that carry the radioactive water in the plant.

You also want to ensure that there is no danger for public safety, federal regulators announced.

More than 300 of the pipes to be scrapped due to excessive wear and tear. At the end of March Edison announced that it had a confirmatory action of the nuclear regulatory Commission, letter the outlines actions of the Rosemead-based utility on San Onofre must be completed, before restart units 2 and 3 the permission of the Commission. These actions include:

SCE can be connected to all the pipes in units 2 and 3 for which tests specified wear industry guidelines, as well as all the pipes prone, because of their geographical location to wear.

SCE determines the causes for the tube-to-tube removal and set a protocol of control and/or limit values for both units, including plans for a mid-cycle shut down for further checks.

An NRC team of inspectors

The plant site is 19 conduct their own inspections and analysis of the plant since March.

NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said similar were problems found and corrected other nuclear installations.

He said "Other people already in a position to resolve these types of problems and to return to the service" on Thursday. "We have two resident inspectors are, and we have also another team."

NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko was expected, that the site on Friday along with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep Darrell Issa, R-Vista.

Dricks said that the plant is currently not a security risk, because he shuts down.

Still, residents and businesses are concerned about possible health risks. Are issues, such as the plant shut down - whether temporarily or permanently - supply and electricity will affect electricity costs for SCE customers.

"I have a client with a large printing company, which is 40,000 to 50,000 square meters," said Daniel lien, first Vice President and regional manager with inland Community Bank in Pasadena. "This would make a big difference if the prices be adjusted upwards when this stream from the network comes." "And it could cause a deficiency in the power supply."

Edison spokesman Scott Andresen said that the San Onofre plant 2,200 megawatts electricity, enough power supplied 1.4 million medium-sized apartments. But he refused to speculate how the plant would affect shutdown SCE customers.

"It is difficult, a precise context as a percentage of the pie and ripples to implement," he said. "Our top priority is now to units 2 and 3, as safe as possible." "We won't turn them back until we and the NRC holds, it is safe."

Andresen said that SCE has a contingency plan with the CAL ISO in the event that the work come back online. Cal ISO manages the provision of electricity on high-voltage, long-distance services makes 80 percent of the California power grid lines, from which.

"We have request / response programs for customers as the Flex switch off plan where you have your air conditioning opt can-in for two hours a day," Andresen said. "We do this every year."

State Energy officials warned already of rotating power outages in the region when a heat wave hits and San Onofre remains dark. The loss of the nuclear power plant makes it harder makes where reliable energy transfer long contested since import in the San Diego area.

It could take up to two months new start two former plants in Huntington Beach, localized, as the substitute makes an important source, officials said.

The twin rooms, natural gas-fired plants in Huntington Beach were retired earlier this year. Plant nutrition severed gas pipe and 3-foot holes were cut in the boiler.

San Onofre unit 3 closed was in January, after a leak in a pipe created with radioactive water as a precaution. Extensive wear and tear has been shut down on similar hoses in its twin, unit 2, for maintenance work was found.

"I am very concerned about the electric power," said Jim Randall, President and founder of Allfast fastening systems Inc. "we spend about $150,000 per month cost of electricity and in the summer, which will be doubled." And keep prices elevated.

Allfast makes the rivets that are used in the construction of civil and military aircraft.

"The State of California is very unfriendly with makes", Randall said. "If you... get them to places such as Alabama and Tucson have other places of friendly prices." That is, why businesses moving California. "

Verna Rollinger, Mayor of the provisional said of Laguna Beach, affecting them since Edison holding nuclear waste on-site at San Onofre instead of moving it somewhere else.

"If the plant was originally licensed the plan never was to keep the waste on the ground," she said. "There are 4,000 tons of radioactive nuclear waste in San Onofre sit." "I was told that if the waste was shut down Unit 1 was adopted, go on a barge somewhere, but apparently never happened."

Andresen said SCE little choice in the matter.

He said "Every nuclear power plant in the United States keeps its spent fuel on-site,". "We not everything with him until the Federal Government with a plan where comes this."