Edison Applies to Restart Nuke Plant in June

With the aim of mollifying critics and getting permission to restart the beleaguered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station by June 1, Southern California Edison officials Monday submitted documents officially requesting a license amendment.

If approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the amendment would allow the utility to run its Unit 2 reactor at 70 percent power for the next operating cycle.

Units 2 and 3 at the plant were taken offline in January of 2012 after a radioactive steam leak revealed .

Edison issued a release Monday stating it had officially submitted the license amendment paperwork. The national environmental group Friends of the Earth said issued a subsequent press release alleging the license amendment proposal doesn’t go far enough to address safety concerns.

“Edison’s idea of a license amendment is a rubber stamp from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” said Friends of the Earth spokeswoman Kendra Ulrich said in a press release. “Its request is a red herring to divert attention from major unresolved safety issues and circumvent meaningful public participation. It would be an outrage and a betrayal of the public's trust if the NRC were to concede to Edison's demands."

Edison, however, points to an exhaustive safety analysis by more than a half dozen independent companies who came together to study the plant's problems. San Onofre is safe to operate, said Edison officials.

Edison and NRC officials discussed the amendment at a public hearing April 3.