All spent fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California has been transferred to dry storage, majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE) said Friday.
The dry-storage pad at the retired nuclear power plant in San Diego County now holds roughly 3.5 million pounds of fuel rods in 123 canisters.
Fifty canisters store material from reactor Unit 1, which closed in 1992. Contractor Holtec International had conducted the latest offload, encompassing 73 canisters of used fuel from Units 2 and 3. Those reactors were permanently shuttered in 2013, after being equipped with faulty steam generators.
The spent-fuel transfer began in 2018, then was halted for nearly a year following a mishap in August of that year when one canister was left at risk for nearly an hour of an 18-foot drop into its storage slot. Operations resumed in July 2019, under what SCE said were improved procedures and oversight.
“Our commitment remains ensuring spent nuclear fuel is safely stored and that it can be transported to an off-site facility in the future,” Doug Bauder, SCE vice president and chief nuclear officer, said in a press release. “We are developing a strategic plan to help us explore opportunities for advancing various alternatives to get the spent fuel off-site, as well as make sure that our fuel is ready for pickup when the opportunity presents itself.”
The strategic plan is anticipated in early 2020, the release says.
The projected $4.4 billion decommissioning of Units 2 and 3 began in earnest in February, managed by contractor SONGS Decommissioning Solutions. That work is due to be completed within a decade. The contractor is a joint venture of infrastructure multinational AECOM and nuclear services firm EnergySolutions, but the former plans to sell its stake.
