Southern California Edison said Wednesday it is preparing to temporarily ramp down some decommissioning operations at the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
The utility expects in the next few days to determine which deconstruction activities will be temporarily frozen and what work can continue, according to a press release.
Transfer of spent fuel into dry storage will proceed, as it represents “essential work,” Southern California Edison (SCE) said. However, further safety efforts are in place, the release adds.
The reduced workload is part of SCE’s response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) March 19 executive order directing California residents to stay home unless they are needed to support the functioning of critical infrastructure. The order is intended to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus 2019, which as of Tuesday had caused 53 deaths in the state.
Energy and construction are among the critical infrastructure sectors identified by the state as requiring continuity of operations.
“We have protocols we’ve implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These protocols are designed to keep our employees safe while allowing certain critical work to continue,” Doug Bauder, SCE vice president and chief nuclear officer, said in the release. “This is an ever-changing situation, at the national, state and local levels, and we are staying flexible in our level of response.”
Southern California Edison permanently retired SONGS Units 2 and 3 in 2013, more than two decades after Unit 1 was shuttered in 1992. Major decommissioning operations began last month, a $4.4 billion job managed by contractor SONGS Decommissioning Solutions and scheduled to wrap up in 2028.
Early deconstruction has focused on asbestos removal and other work in the reactor containment domes, site characterization, and upgrading the rail spur to support removal of debris, according to SCE spokesman John Dobken.
The SONGS Community Engagement Panel is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. local time today, though only by Skype. The local advocacy group Public Watchdogs has requested that one of the panel’s members, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, ask whether SCE will halt the used-fuel offload. On Tuesday, Desmond told Public Watchdogs Executive Director Charles Langley by email he would “take your comments into consideration.”
