The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will visit the San Onofre nuclear power plant after concerns about what inspectors have called "unusual wear" in steam generator tubes in the plant's two reactors, according to the Associated Press.
The twin reactors have been shut down since January. The plant, located about 60 miles south of Los Angeles, will remain offline until investigators determine what's behind the erosion in the tubes, which carry radioactive water.
Officials have said there is no danger to workers or plant neighbors.
The plant is owned by Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and the City of Riverside. Federal regulators have told SoCal Edision that operations cannot go back online until the issue is investigated.
Regulators outlined in a letter the steps that must be taken before the reactors can go back online.
The tubes are one of the vital barriers between the radioactive and non-radioactive sides of the plant. If a tube breaks, there is the potential that radioactivity from the system that pumps water through the reactor could escape into the atmosphere.
Serious leaks also can drain cooling water from a reactor.
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