The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week it identified no safety violations during three unannounced inspections earlier this year of used fuel operations at the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California.
The findings were presented in an April 28 letter from Greg Warnick chief of the agency’s Reactor Inspection Branch, to Doug Bauder, vice president and chief nuclear officer for SONGS majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE). “Within the scope of the inspection, no violations were identified and a response to this letter is not required,” according to Warnick.
Southern California Edison permanently shut down the plant’s two remaining operating reactors, Units 2 and 3, in 2013. It then hired energy technology company Holtec International to move the reactors’ spent fuel from cooling pools to dry storage.
The inspections are part of increased scrutiny by the NRC following an August 2018 incident in which one canister of used-fuel rods was left at risk of a nearly 20-foot drop into its storage slot on the power plant property near the Pacific Ocean. It took personnel nearly an hour to identify and address the problem, in which the canister became lodged on a shield ring for the storage space. The NRC ultimately fined SCE $116,000 for violations of federal nuclear safety rules.
“The inspectors noted that the corrective actions taken in response to the August 2018 incident remained effective. The licensee continues to implement successful programs related to training, procedures, equipment maintenance, and oversight to ensure safe and compliant downloading operations,” according to the NRC inspection report. “The inspectors observed that the status of the canisters during downloading operations were constantly monitored and properly handled to avoid possible misalignment issues. No findings were identified during the inspection period.”
As of this week, Holtec was installing the 60th of 73 canisters into storage. Southern California Edison is aiming to complete the project in late July or early August.
