The State : Rancho Seco Restart Nears

Operators of the long-idled Rancho Seco nuclear power plant were completing last-minute tests, and officials remained hopeful that the plant would be approved for restart late Tuesday night. Kerry Shearer, spokesman for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, owners of the plant, said operators have resolved the latest in a series of equipment malfunctions that delayed restart of the plant three times in the last week. The plant has been closed since a severe over-cooling accident Dec. 26, 1985. The utility district has spent more than $400 million during the last 27 months to overhaul equipment and management. In the meantime, a majority of the Sacramento City Council has announced support for a June ballot measure calling for the plant’s closure.