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 (e.g., if there is a need for additional information about the proposal),” Coastal Commission spokeswoman Noaki Schwartz said by email this week.
The agenda for the June 12-14 meeting in San Diego is due to be finalized by May 24. The application for the coastal development permit would be added if the commission has sufficient information to vote on the matter, Schwartz said.
Utility Southern California Edison on Feb. 28 submitted the application for the permit necessary for onshore decommissioning operations, which broadly covers decontamination and disassembly of above-ground structures for two reactors at the retired power plant. A second permit application is planned for offshore operations involving removal of the intake and discharge conduits, plus related infrastructure.
Commission staff has not yet made a recommendation on the first application, according to Schwartz. “Consistency with the CA Coastal Act is the prime factor and will be the focus point of the staff report,” she wrote.
Southern California Edison, SONGS’ majority owner and federal licensee, closed reactor Units 2 and 3 in 2013 after faulty steam generators were installed in both systems. Unit 1 was retired in 1992 and is largely decommissioned.
In December 2016, SCE hired an AECOM-EnergySolutions joint venture to manage the estimated $4.4 billion decommissioning project. While the contractor, formally called SONGS Decommissioning Solutions, has done some preliminary work, full cleanup of the property is dependent on the state permits. Decommissioning of the two reactors is due to begin this year and to wrap up in 2028.