An ammonia leak in the steam system used to drive the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station's turbines prompted an alert at the plant today, but Southern California Edison officials insisted there was no threat to the public.
The alert was declared at about 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon when the leak was detected, according to SCE, the majority owner of the plant. The County of San Diego issued a statement that they were told of the alert at 2:50 p.m.
"As a precaution, the company evacuated employees in the area near where the leak was found,'' according to a statement from Edison. "Other employees remain in other areas of the plant. There's no immediate danger to the public. Those units are operating normally.''
At 6:30 p.m., San Onofre issued this statement on their Twitter account: "Approx. 30 gallons of leaked ammonia being collected in basin underneath the tank that was designed for that purpose."
The alert was lifted at about 6 p.m.
