The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday it intends to fine Southern California Edison $116,000 for an August 2018 misplay in handling of used reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).
While it has 30 days to contest the decision, the California utility said it would pay the penalty. “Southern California Edison accepts the civil penalty assessed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) related to the Aug. 3, 2018, canister downloading incident at San Onofre nuclear plant. The event should not have happened and as the licensee we take full responsibility,” SCE said in a written statement.
Southern California Edison is the majority owner and NRC licensee for SONGS, a San Diego County nuclear power plant that closed permanently in 2013 after faulty steam generators were placed in its two operational reactors. In early 2018, the utility and contractor Holtec International began moving the reactors’ remaining used fuel from wet to dry storage ahead of the start of decommissioning. The project was originally scheduled for completion by mid-2019.
During one transfer on Aug. 3, a 100,000-pound canister became lodged on a shield ring in its storage slot and at risk for a nearly 20-foot uncontrolled drop. It took personnel nearly an hour to identify and correct the problem.
During a webinar on Monday, Linda Howell, deputy director for the NRC’s Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, said the federal agency was filing two major violations against SCE.
The first was the loss of redundancy in safety when the straps holding the canister bunched up, creating the risk of a sudden drop. That resulted from problems in operations, training, and procedures and led to the $116,000 fine, she said.
The second violation was the three-day delay in informing the NRC. The incident occurred on a Friday and the agency was informally told about it on the following Monday.
