SCE Submits Draft License Amendment for Nuclear Plant Unit 2 Restart

Amendment Submitted to Meet Customer Electricity Demand During Hot Summer Months

ROSEMEAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Southern California Edison (SCE) has voluntarily submitted a draft license amendment request to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for discussion. The draft is designed to support safely restarting Unit 2 of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to address customer electricity demand and grid reliability concerns during the upcoming summer months. SCE is considering submitting a final amendment request after discussing it with the NRC staff at a public meeting Wednesday in Rockville, Maryland.

The draft license amendment request, if finalized and submitted for NRC approval, would support SCE‘s plan to operate Unit 2 at 70 percent power for five months. Operating at 70 percent power prevents conditions that caused the tube-to-tube wear in Unit 3 that resulted in the nuclear plant being shut down since January 2012. SCE and three independent companies with expertise in nuclear generation have confirmed it is safe to operate the Unit 2 steam generators. The NRC has been evaluating these analyses, which are based on exhaustive testing and inspections, since October 2012.

“Since last fall, SCE has provided the public and the NRC with detailed analyses from global experts that support safe restart of Unit 2,” said Ron Litzinger, SCE president. “We are considering the proposed voluntary amendment as the best path to get Unit 2 safely up and running before the hottest months of the year hit our region.”

SCE would be asking the NRC to act on the amendment before the end of May to facilitate timely restart of Unit 2 to meet peak summer electricity demand. Following the initial five-month operating period, SCE would shut down Unit 2 for steam generator tube inspections. Based on inspection data, Unit 2 would resume operation at 70 percent power for an appropriate operating period during the remainder of the 18-24 month fuel cycle while SCE updates its analysis to determine the appropriate long-term power level.

The San Onofre nuclear plant is the largest source of baseload generation and voltage support in the region and is a critical asset in meeting California’s clean energy needs. According to testimony filed by SCE for its General Rate Case and as part of a report prepared in 2010 by IHS Global Insight, operating the nuclear plant directly generates economic activity worth on average $2.2 billion per year. …read more
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