Workers at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California have successfully moved the first two canisters of used reactor fuel to dry storage since restarting transfers on July 18. A third canister is on deck to begin movement this week.
Officials with plant majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE) on Thursday briefed the SONGS Community Engagement Panel regarding the status of the renewed fuel offload.
Both 50-ton canisters were successfully moved and inserted into their dry-storage chambers — cylindrical vertical holes in a concrete pad near the Pacific Ocean. The canisters were moved July 18 and July 30.
There were some brief suspensions and reviews during the transfers, in keeping with training and procedures that were revamped in the wake of an August 2018 mishap in the fuel offload at the retired power plant in San Diego County. All problems were fixed immediately in accordance with the site’s stricter procedures and standards, utility officials said last week.
The July 18 restart followed a nearly yearlong recovery from a high-profile failure in moving one spent-fuel canister — the 29th of 73. On Aug. 3, 2018, the container of fuel assemblies became lodged on the shield ring of its underground storage slot. It took workers nearly an hour to identify and fix the problem, during which the canister was at risk of an uncontrolled 18-foot drop.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission investigated the event, and in March fined SCE $116,000 for two violations of federal nuclear safety rules: failure to have backup equipment in place to prevent the canister drop and failure to notify with the agency within 24 hours. The regulator in May OK’d Southern California Edison to resume the fuel offload. The company and fuel-transfer contractor Holtec International finished their own reviews before restarting the transfer.
Movement of Canister No. 32 is scheduled begin this week. The last canister is expected.to be inserted in late spring 2020, SCE officials said Thursday.
