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San Onofre Nuclear Plant Offline Until End Of August

A couple stands near the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station at San Onofre State Beach on March 15, 2012 south of San Clemente, California.
David McNew
A couple stands near the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station at San Onofre State Beach on March 15, 2012 south of San Clemente, California.

The damaged San Onofre nuclear power plant in Southern California is likely to remain offline until at least the end of August.

Operator Southern California Edison said Thursday that the company plans by the end of July to submit a plan to federal regulators to restart the Unit 2 reactor.

But any plan to restart the plant must be approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and that could take weeks or longer.

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Edison says it's likely that the plant between San Diego and Los Angeles will remain dark at least through August.

The plant has been shuttered since January after investigators found excessive wear on hundreds of tubes that carry radioactive water.

State officials have warned of possible rotating blackouts if a heat wave hits and the plant remains offline.