SAN CLEMENTE - Three steam generator tubes in Unit 3 of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station south of San Clemente failed during a pressure stress test, Southern California Edison announced Wednesday.
Following industry standards and requirements, the plant's majority owner notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the tube test failures, SCE President Ron Litzinger said. SCE is conducting "in-situ" tests on 129 of the 19,454 steam generator tubes in Unit 3, he said.
NRC inspectors are on site for those tests, which consist of the steam generator tubes being slowly pressurized with non-radioactive water in stages, using up to three times the normal operating condition pressure, according to the utility.
Litzinger anticipates additional NRC inspections because of the test failures.
"Tests at a nuclear plant are designed to detect potential safety issues, and these tests serve that purpose," he said. "Our tube testing plan, in accordance with industry standards, is designed to help us understand the safety issues and significance of this situation."
Unit 3 has been shut down since Jan. 31, after station operators detected a leak in one of its steam generator tubes. Its two steam generators are undergoing extensive testing and inspections in order to fully assess their condition and the cause of the leak.
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