Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

KPBS Midday Edition

Feds Say San Onofre Nuclear Fuel Transfers Can Resume

Photo of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station taken on April 5, 2019.
KPBS Staff
Photo of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station taken on April 5, 2019.
Federal regulators are allowing operators of a closed Southern California nuclear power plant to resume transferring nuclear waste to a storage facility.

Federal regulators are allowing operators of a closed Southern California nuclear power plant to resume transferring nuclear waste to a storage facility.

The San Diego Union-Tribune says the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to take canisters of waste from cooling pools to a safer dry bunker at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

RELATED: Congressman Levin Proposes Bill To Tackle San Onofre Nuclear Storage

Advertisement

Transfers were halted nearly a year ago after a 50-ton canister of spent fuel was left hanging and at risk of being dropped rather than lowered 18 feet into a storage vault. The plant operator, Southern California Edison, calls the NRC decision an "important milestone" but didn't say when transfers will resume.

Twenty-nine canister have been moved into dry storage but 44 remain.

The power plant has been closed since 2012.

The North County Focus newsletter is your bi-weekly guide to all the news coming from North County, plus a handpicked selection of events and trivia tidbits.