PGE workers followed all appropriate procedures
– By Christopher Smith –
Unit 2, one of two reactors, was safely shut down at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, after a blown fuse caused a loss of power. Unit 1 continued to operate at full power. The two units together produce 2,300 megawatts of electricity, which equates to about 10 percent of all electricity generated in California.
According to Pacific Gas and Electric the reactor was shut down Tuesday afternoon. The company says its workers followed all appropriate procedures, and the shutdown does not pose any threats to the public. There's no word when the reactor will be put back on line. The 2,240 MW Diablo Canyon station is located in Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, about 195 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The station has two units, 1,122 MW Unit 1 and the 1,118 MW Unit 2, which entered service in 1985 and 1986.
Since beginning commercial operation in 1985, Diablo Canyon has been one of the safest and most efficient nuclear power plants in the nation. The plant consistently receives high safety ratings from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well as high safety and performance ratings from the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. At the half way point in its NRC operating license of 40 years, the utility plans to invest approximately $1 billion in Diablo Canyon through the end of this decade to assure continued safe and efficient operation during the second half of its life.