Crucial Milestone Achieved for Decommissioning San Onofre Nuclear Plant
19 October 2019 - 5:00AM
Business Wire
The California Coastal Commission today unanimously approved a
coastal development permit for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating
Station, clearing the way for dismantlement of plant structures and
decontamination of the site. The vote took place at the
commission’s meeting in Chula Vista.
“We appreciate the commissioners for their diligence in
understanding the issues involved and Coastal Commission staff for
their efforts in making sure all voices were heard in the process,”
said Doug Bauder, SCE vice president and chief nuclear officer. “I
also want to thank the members of the public who spoke in favor of
the permit for their support in helping get this project
underway.”
Today’s approval by the Coastal Commission allows SCE to move
forward with removing above-grade structures on the site, such as
the twin containment domes. SCE anticipates beginning major
decommissioning work in 2020.
What is Decommissioning?
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows up to 60 years to
complete decommissioning. However, SCE believes completing the work
in a timely manner will benefit customers and local communities.
Importantly, the dismantlement of the plant structures will remove
a significant amount of hazardous material from the site. In
addition, removing most of the above-grade structures will
eliminate prominent visual features associated with the facility
and start the process to return the property to landowners as soon
as practical. Finally, completing the radiological decontamination
work now will allow SCE to leverage today’s disposal rates and
labor costs.
SONGS Decommissioning Solutions (SDS) is the decommissioning
general contractor. The project is expected to create about 600
jobs during the 8-to-10-year dismantlement phase, and the majority
of the labor force will be hired locally from the San Diego region.
As decommissioning activities ramp up, any impacts to traffic and
public access near the site are anticipated to be short-term and
limited. SCE will make timely notifications to the public through
posted signs and the SONGS Community website before any traffic
impacts.
“We are committed to protecting the safety of our workers and
the public, to stewardship of our natural environment and open
engagement with our community,” Bauder said.
As part of that commitment, SCE is installing a continuous
radiation monitoring system in the dry spent fuel storage facility.
The monitors will collect real-time data that will be analyzed and
shared with the public through a state agency.
An inspection and maintenance program for the Holtec UMAX dry
storage system originally due to the commission in October 2020
will now be delivered to the commission in March and will undergo
independent third-party review. During the Coastal Commission
hearing, SCE revealed it is conducting industry-leading research
into a canister repair method using a metallic overlay.
The $4.4 billion nuclear plant decommissioning is financed
through existing trust funds, including SCE’s share of the project
as majority owner. The total cost includes the dismantlement work
awarded to SONGS Decommissioning Solutions, continued on-site
storage of San Onofre’s spent nuclear fuel until the federal
government provides a required repository and restoration
activities. Customers contributed about one-third of the trust
funds while two-thirds of the total is due to investment growth
over time.
Members of the public interested in finding out more about
decommissioning activities are invited to the next Community
Engagement Panel meeting Thursday, Nov. 21, at 5:30 p.m. at the QLN
Conference Center in Oceanside. Informational booths will be open
at 4:30 p.m. Up-to-date information can also be found at the SONGS
Community website.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California
Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a
population of approximately 15 million via 5 million customer
accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central,
Coastal and Southern California.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191018005525/en/
Media Contact: John Dobken, (626) 302-2255
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