Officials yesterday shut down the San Onofre nuclear power plant about 45 minutes north of San Diego, Calif., because of a possible leak in one of the reactor's steam generator tubes.

There is no imminent danger for the public or plant workers, a spokesman for the utility operator, Southern California Edison, said.

"It is not a major leak. It has not risen to the level where it would cause the unit to automatically shut down," the spokesman, Gil Alexander, said. "But as a precaution we're shutting the unit down to go in and inspect" (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 31). -- GV