PG&E said that it has formally urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to delay final action on the utility’s on-going license renewal application until PG&E submits the findings to the commission.
In November 2008, the US Geological Survey, in partnership with PG&E’s geo-sciences department, discovered the new shoreline fault zone and PG&E evaluated whether that new feature presented a safety risk to the plant.
PG&E submitted its evaluation to the NRC under the commitment of its current operating licenses.
PG&E’s evaluation confirmed the plant has adequate safety margin to withstand maximum ground motions postulated to occur from faults in the region, including the shoreline fault.
PG&E plans to undertake high-energy offshore 3-D studies of the shoreline fault’s deeper regions as soon as it obtains necessary permits from various regulatory agencies.
