The operator of the San Onofre nuclear power plant is preparing to empty the radioactive fuel from one of its twin reactors, writes the Associated Press. Tons of fuel inside the disabled Unit 3 reactor will be moved into storage in mid-September. The plant located between Los Angeles and San Diego has been shut down since January, after a break in a tube that carries radioactive water. Investigators later found unusual wear on scores of tubes inside the plant’s four steam generators. Removing the fuel comes on the heels of a decision to lay off 730 plant workers by year's end. Edison continues to claim it will repair Unit 2, an increasingly unpopular tact with ratepayers.