The reactor pressure vessel for the decommissioned Unit 1 at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California has reached its final destination for disposal, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The federal agency noted the July 14 milestone in a report issued Monday from its latest inspection of the three retired reactors at the San Diego County power plant. Majority owner Southern California Edison generally received strong marks, with inspectors reporting no violations of federal regulations.
Unit 1 operated for 24 years before being retired in 1992, more than two decades ahead of the permanent closures of SONGS’ other two reactors. While Unit 1 was largely decommissioned afterward, the reactor pressure vessel remained held on-site after being emptied of nuclear fuel. It was placed within a steel vessel filled with a concrete-like grout.
Decommissioning contractor SONGS Decommissioning Solutions managed the transport by rail to a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Clive, Utah. The facility is operated by one of the partners in SONGS Decommissioning Solutions: Salt Lake City-based nuclear services firm EnergySolutions.
The entire 770-canister package rolled out on rail on May 25, arriving three days later at a railyard in Apex, Nev., where it stayed until June 29, according to the NRC report. It left Apex that day and reached the Clive facility eight days ago.
EnergySolutions did not respond to a query by deadline Wednesday regarding the status of the reactor pressure vessel.
Southern California Edison hired the EnergySolutions-AECOM team in 2016 to manage decommissioning of the last two reactors at SONGS, a $4.4 billion job expected to be completed before 2030.
AECOM, the Los Angeles-based infrastructure multinational, said in May it was in negotiations to sell its stake in SONGS Decommissioning Solutions. There was no update as of Tuesday, a company spokesman said.
