Palo Verde Reactor Shut Down To Fix Leak

WINTERSBURG, Ariz. (AP) – One of three reactors at a nuclear plant thatis one of El Paso Electric’s major power suppliers is shut down and could be for several weeks because of a cooling-system leak on the non-nuclear side of the plant.

Arizona Public Service spokesman Jim McDonald says there is no threat to public safety.

He says it could take weeks to repair the hydrogen leak because the turbine generator it’s in is so large.

McDonald says the leak wasn’t a problem that had to be fixed immediately, but that APS chose to do it now because there’s low power demand, the other two reactors are at full power and it’s not a complicated problem.

APS and the plant’s other owners could buy replacement power from another source or get it from one of their other plants.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)