Southern California Edison (SCE) may be saving money with San Onofre shut down, says nuclear power expert, San Diego State University Professor Murray Jennex.

They could be losing up to a million dollars a day in lost power to customers. But because power is cheaper in the Northwest this time of year, and it’s not peak season, he says they may be actually saving money. “Hydroelectrics are running more, it may be cheaper to buy replacement power than operate the nuclear power this time of year,” said Jennex.

Currently, SCE is using replacement energy, but will not elaborate on how much that’s costing. However, SCE spokesperson Gil Alexander says it will not be passed onto customers “in the immediate future”. San Diego Gas & Electric has 20-percent ownership of SONGS and gets 20 percent, or 430 MW, of power made by the station, according to the SDG&E website.

Source: San Onofre Still Offline Three Weeks Later – KPBS 2/21/2012