Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
5/30/2014
Southern California Edison expects to completely transfer the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s spent fuel pool inventory to dry storage by 2019, according to a draft Irradiated Fuel Management Plan the company presented at last week’s Community Engagement Panel meeting. Local stakeholders have been vocal about their desire to see the expedited transfer of the spent fuel to dry cask storage at the shutdown site. “Some of the feedback we heard not just from panel members, but other members of the public and other stakeholders is that they would like to see us off-load earlier rather than later, so we are preparing a preliminary plan to do that and reviewing that with the panel,” SCE’s Chief Nuclear Officer Tom Palmisano said during the meeting.
Before any transfer can begin, though, the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) storage pad must be expanded, which SCE expects to be completed by 2017. “The current plans are for the ISFSI to be expanded to accommodate the remaining inventory of the SONGS Units 2 and 3 spent fuel pools,” the draft IFMP says. “SCE plans to commence the movement of irradiated fuel from the SONGS Unit 2 and Unit 3 pools to the ISFSI in 2017. SCE expects to complete the transfer in 2019.” The draft plan also said SCE expects to procure more dry cask storage canisters from suppliers beginning this year.
Timeline Taking Shape
While SCE moves forward with its spent fuel pool transfer plans, other necessary decommissioning documents and timelines are beginning to take shape. SCE spokeswoman Maureen Brown said this week that a Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report, which outlines the planned decommissioning approach for the site, is expected to be submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in September. At last week’s meeting, Palmisano said, “We have committed to a 20 year or less plan,” adding, “Now, this is preliminary, and we will finalize it as we make our submittal in the third quarter of 2014. I’m anticipating having everything approved in early 2015. That gives the NRC sometime to review and approve it.”
SCE has also been working on a site-specific decommissioning cost estimate. The utility contracted with EnergySolutions to prepare a cost analysis, the first performed for SONGS Unit 2 and 3. According to the draft IFMP, “EnergySolutions, LLC has prepared a site-specific decommissioning cost estimate (DCE) for SONGS Units 2 and 3. The cost analysis identifies the details, schedules, and costs of spent fuel management activities associated with the IFMP, along with license termination and site restoration activities and costs.” The details of that DCE are not known now, but Brown did say SCE has been submitting cost estimates to the California Public Utilities Commission regularly.
Still Some Uncertainties
The documents may be taking shape, but uncertainties from the NRC perspective still exist. Palmisano indicated that a major uncertainty comes in the form of congressional oversight. For example, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D- Calif.) and other senators have recently criticized the NRC for granting exemptions to safety and security regulations at decommissioning reactor sites. “There is some uncertainty in the license submittals,” Palmisano said. “The De-Fueled Emergency Plan certainly gets some attention. There has been some letters recently from Sen. Boxer and other senators questioning and urging the NRC not to approve the changes in emergency plans for decommissioning plants. They have typically been approved, and there is a good technical and safety basis for it. But, I think this will generate some pause from the Commission’s part.” Palmisano added that he did not know if that NRC review would take 12 or 18 months.
The Department of Energy’s lack of a disposal option for high-level waste also could hinder the planned decommissioning timeline. The IFMP plan assumes that DOE will have some type of consolidated storage facility running by 2024, and will begin accepting waste from SONGS that year, though the schedule for any such storage site remains unclear. “This plan is based upon a 2024 start date for US DOE acceptance of spent fuel from the industry,” the draft IFMP says. “SCE is assuming all fuel will be removed from the SONGS site as of 2049. Based on this assumption, the ISFSI will be subsequently decommissioned by the 2051 final license termination date.”
