RPT-Faulty tests blamed for California nuclear plant leak

[Commentary:  Expect Southern California to have black outs this summer.  If you are not prepared and live in the area, prepare now.  San Onofre provides approximately 18% of the energy for the area.  There is no plan to replace this loss of energy which means the area will have black outs.]

By Rory Carroll

(Reuters) - Tubes that leaked radioactive steam at a California nuclear power plant, leading to an indefinite shutdown, were not properly tested by the manufacturer prior to installation, nuclear regulators told an overflowing public hearing on Monday.

The San Onofre Nuclear Power plant, located in Orange County, has been shut down since Jan. 31, when plant operators discovered a small radiation leak in one of the plants' two units. The 2,150-megawatt plant is operated by Edison International's Southern California Edison utility.

The nuclear station is located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego and is critical to the grid to import electricity into southern California. Its extended shutdown raises the possibility of rolling power outages as warmer temperatures boost demand for power over the summer.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday pinned the blame for the leak on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which it said underestimated the velocity of water and steam surging through the generator by a factor of three or four times in its computerized test of the equipment.

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