SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (AP) — Steps are quietly being taken to prepare for possibly restarting the troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant, even as its future remains unclear.
The seaside plant hasn't produced electricity in nearly a year, after a tiny radiation leak led to the discovery of excessive wear on hundreds of tubes that carry radioactive water.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission senior inspector Greg Warnick says the agency is beginning to prepare a detailed plan of what would need to be done to bring the plant safely back to service.
Southern California Edison has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for permission to restart one of the reactors and run it at reduced power.
A decision isn't expected until March.
NRC chair Allison Macfarlane toured the plant Monday and told reporters she's "concerned about the situation."
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