San Onofre (SONGS)

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 […]

A measure introduced in the California State Senate calls on the U.S. Congress and President Donald Trump to approve federal legislation that would prioritize removal of used fuel from power plants in the state. Senate Joint Resolution 11 was introduced on Aug. 12 by state Sens. Patricia Bates (R) and Bill Monning (D). It was […]

The top brass at AECOM said this week it has received plenty of positive feedback since announcing June 17 that it would spin off the business segment that manages its federal government and nuclear decommissioning contracts. “We are moving ahead of schedule” toward separating the Management Services line into its own publicly traded company, Chairman […]

U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) joined three of his House colleagues on a trip to Yucca Mountain last week to argue his case against building a nuclear waste repository on the federal property in his state. “I visited Yucca Mountain today to ensure the information shared by the Department of Energy was as accurate as […]

The California Coastal Commission is expected in September to decide whether to issue a permit that is necessary for major decommissioning to begin on two retired reactors at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The commission had been scheduled in June to take up Southern California Edison’s application for a coastal development permit, but […]

The California Coastal Commission is expected in September to decide whether to issue a permit that is necessary for major decommissioning to begin on two retired reactors at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The commission had been scheduled in June to take up Southern California Edison’s application for a coastal development permit, but […]

AECOM on Monday named a senior executive with the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to lead the international arm of the company’s Management Services nuclear and strategic environment branch. David Batters will join AECOM on Sept. 1 as senior vice president and international sector lead for the Management Services nuclear and environment unit. The […]

Southern California Edison on Monday resumed transferring used reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) into dry storage. The 30th of 77 storage canisters was this week placed in the expanded independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) at the retired San Diego County nuclear power plant. The project in total is expected to […]

Southern California Edison (SCE) on Monday resumed transferring used reactor fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) into dry storage. The restart follows a nearly yearlong recovery from a high-profile mishap in moving one spent-fuel canister. On Aug. 3, 2018, the container of fuel assemblies became lodged on the shield ring of its […]

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said he used a meeting last week with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Kristine Svinicki to renew his call for increased federal oversight at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). “As I told the chair, it is imperative that the NRC, Southern California Edison, and Holtec International take concrete […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Institute said this week that Southern California Edison (SCE) has taken significant steps to address the failures that led to a mishap last year in the transfer of used fuel at its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). However, the agency said a follow-up inspection identified five additional minor violations of […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week that Southern California Edison (SCE) has taken significant steps to address the failures that led to a mishap last year in the transfer of used fuel at its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). However, the agency also cited the utility for five minor violations of safety […]

The California State Lands Commission on June 28 voted unanimously to approve a resolution to support two pieces of federal legislation that would prioritize removing used reactor fuel from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). None of the three commissioners commented on the resolution. The bills are the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of […]

The California State Lands Commission on Friday voted unanimously to approve a resolution to support two pieces of federal legislation that would prioritize removing used reactor fuel from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). None of the three commissioners commented on the resolution. The bills are the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019, […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans through fall to hold 11 public meetings in communities near nuclear power plants that have closed or are nearing the end of the service life. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss best practices for community boards that would provide advice on decommissioning of the facilities, as required […]

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) has reaffirmed his call for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to post a full-time inspector at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) until completion of the used reactor fuel offload at the retired power plant. The lawmaker, whose congressional district covers SONGS, cited a list of safety issues dating back […]

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) on Friday called on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to rethink its decision against posting a full-time inspector at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) until completion of the used reactor fuel offload at the retired power plant. The lawmaker, whose congressional district covers SONGS, cited a list of safety […]

The California Coastal Commission postponed its scheduled consideration this week of a permit that would allow primary decommissioning operations to begin at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The permit had been on the agenda for Wednesday, the first day of the commission’s three-day June meeting in San Diego. The discussion has been pushed […]

The movement of used nuclear fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is expected to begin again in early 2020. Fuel movement was expected to begin in a few weeks and conclude between February and April, Doug Bauder, Southern California Edison’s (SCE) chief nuclear officer at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), said […]

Southern California Edison intends to apply lessons learned from an error in loading spent reactor fuel into storage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) to its oversight of the upcoming decommissioning at the retired power plant, according to a senior manager with the utility. “We’ve done a number of things to make our […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) stared over the engineers’ shoulders of Southern California Edison and Holtec International International as they studied the effects of  scratches on eight fuel canisters at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). This was part of the NRC’s review of Southern California Edison’s (SCE) and Holtec’s remedial work stemming […]

Staff at the California Coastal Commission are recommending approval of a permit needed for major decommissioning operations to begin at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in San Diego County. However, approval by the commission’s voting members would be dependent on SONGS’ owners agreeing to nearly 20 special conditions, if the staff recommendations are […]

Staff at the California Coastal Commission are recommending approval of a permit needed for major decommissioning operations to begin at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in San Diego County. However, approval of the coastal development permit would be dependent on SONGS’ owners agreeing to nearly 20 special conditions, if the staff recommendations are […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave the green light Tuesday for resumption of loading used nuclear fuel into dry storage at the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. The decision puts plant majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE) and fuel offloading contractor Holtec International on a direct path to […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave the green light Tuesday for resumption of loading used nuclear fuel into dry storage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. The actual work will resume after plant majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE) and fuel offloading contractor Holtec International review their readiness to restart operations.  […]

By John Stang Holtec International’s founder and top executive lashed out earlier this month at a California citizens advisory panel that criticized its work at the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). President and CEO Kris Singh was responding to an April 8 memo by the three top members of the SONGS Community Engagement […]

A bipartisan duo on Tuesday reintroduced legislation in the House of Representatives intended to help the federal government finally build a nuclear waste repository under Yucca Mountain, Nev. The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019 is a slightly updated version of legislation introduced in 2017 by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.). That bill advanced out […]

The California Coastal Commission is tentatively scheduled in June to consider a permit that would allow major decommissioning to begin at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California. “Commission staff is presently planning on the item being heard at the Commission’s June meeting, but this schedule is not final and could be subject […]

The California Coastal Commission is tentatively scheduled in June to consider a permit that would allow major decommissioning to begin at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). “Commission staff is presently planning on the item being heard at the Commission’s June meeting, but this schedule is not final and could be subject to change […]

Nuclear services firm EnergySolutions said Tuesday it has hired a former Fluor executive to manage its reactor decontamination and decommissioning business line. As senior vice president of reactor D&D business development and commercial strategy, Mike Lackey “is responsible for development and execution of Win-Win strategies to secure new commercial D&D projects,” according to his LinkedIn […]