SONGS restart hits a roadblock
May 15, 2013 | By
Travis Mitchell
A decision this week by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) could put the brakes on efforts to restart the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The ruling by the board, which has independence from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), came in response to a June 2012 petition from environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth. The petition asked that a formal licensing proceeding be initiated before SONGS is allowed to resume generation. While the ASLB found that the public has the right to petition for an extended public adjudication period, it did not formally set any further actions into motion. This particular issue dates back to March 2012, when the NRC issued majority SONGS stakeholder Southern California Edison (SCE) a Confirmatory Action Letter. The letter affirmed the steps that SCE agreed to take before regulators would consider restarting the generators. But Friends of the Earth believed the letter constituted a license amendment and, therefore, required a formal proceeding. The ASLB began considering the petition in November 2012. "This ruling is a complete rejection of Edison's plan to restart its damaged nuclear reactors without public review or input," said Damon Moglen, energy and climate director for Friends of the Earth, in a statement. SCE said it submitted a License Amendment Request on April 8, 2013. It released a statement saying it is assessing its options following Monday's decision. SONGS Units 2 and 3 have been shut down since January 2012 after the discovery of faulty steam generator tubes. For more: © 2013 FierceMarkets. All rights reserved. http://www.fierceenergy.com http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/songs-restart-hits-roadblock/2013-05-15
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