FirstEnergy has postponed loading fuel into its Davis-Besse nuclear plant, saying that first, it needs to test backup diesel generators that can run the Oak Harbor facility in emergencies.

The generators are supposed to kick in if the facility loses power, as they did in June 1998, when a tornado hit the site.

The Akron utility company initially thought it could start loading nuclear fuel into the refurbished Davis-Besse reactor last Friday. Now, the refueling operation will take place either later this week or next week, FirstEnergy said.

Refueling typically takes less than a week to complete, First-Energy spokesman Todd Schneider said.

FirstEnergy officials plan to discuss the diesel generators with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week, he said.

``There are a couple of minor issues we're working through,'' Schneider said.

Davis-Besse's technical specifications call for the car-size diesel generators to be fully tested before fuel can be loaded. Those tests have not yet been done, he said.

FirstEnergy says it needs to refuel Davis-Besse so it can test whether reactor coolant is leaking from nozzles at the bottom of the reactor. That weeklong test has been scheduled for March 1.

In the meantime, postponing the refueling will let Davis-Besse workers perform other tasks inside the containment chamber that surrounds the reactor, Schneider said.

``It won't impact our schedule,'' he said. FirstEnergy still plans to have the power plant ready to restart by April 1.

In related news, Davis-Besse will be the topic of Friday's PBS show, NOW with Bill Moyers.