SAN DIEGO, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A reactor at the San Onofre nuclear plant remains shut down because of a leak of radioactive steam, Southern California Edison said.
The reactor was shut down Tuesday when a radiation alarm went off. Jennifer Manfre, a spokeswoman for the company, said the temperature was still too high Friday for repairs, which are not expected to begin until mid-week, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
"The reactor operates at extreme temperatures," she said. "This is just how long it takes after you do a shutdown until they can go in."
Manfre could not predict how long the repairs would take.
The plant 45 miles north of San Diego has two reactors and supplies about one-fifth of Southern California's power when it is at full capacity.
The company said a small amount of radiation may have leaked into the atmosphere, but it was not enough to endanger the health of area residents or plant employees.
