There are some ongoing disputes over nuclear issues that I return to from time to time for an update. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) near San Diego, CA. was shut down a few years ago over problems with the steam generator systems. Southern California Edison (SCE), the owners of the SONGS, contracted with Hitachi Heavy Industries for two new steam generators. In 2012, both of the SONGS reactors had to be shut down because of premature wear. Hitachi claims that they warned SCE that the design changes that had been made might cause problems with the new steam turbines and they did. SCE is suing Hitachi and Hitachi is suing the SCE.
SCE decided that to close the SONGS permanently in 2013 because of uncertainty of the cost and time involved in fixing the steam generators. The SONGS is being decommissioned and that means that something will have to be done with the spent nuclear fuel from the reactor cores and the cooling pool.
SCE proposed to store the nuclear waste in dry storage casks onsite at the SONGS. Seventy three thick vertical dry casks are being constructed onsite to receive the spent fuel currently in the cooling pool at the SONGS. Critics of the proposal point out that the site is right on the Pacific Coast of California with a heavily populated area and a busy freeway right on the other side of the site. California is a seismically active zone and there are fears that an earthquake off the coast could cause a tsunami that would flood the SONGS site.
Following the grant of a twenty year permit by the California Coastal Commission (CCC) in 2015 for the SONGS to store the spent fuel onsite, two plaintiffs from the San Diego area filed a law suit against the actions of the Commission. An out-of-court has just been reached between the plaintiffs and SCE. The settlement was approved by a Superior Court Judge. In the settlement, SCE has committed to making a “commercially reasonable” attempt to move the spent fuel from the SONGS to another facility.
The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona has been suggested as a possible destination for the spent fuel from the SONGS. The Palo Verde site is a logical choice because that facility SCE is a part owner of Palo Verde which would reduce the complexity of the transfer.
Facilities in Texas and New Mexico are also being considered. They are “consolidated interim storage” facilities which receive spent fuel and other waste from multiple nuclear power plants if receipt is approved by local authorities.
Representative from the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance which manages the nuclear waste facility in New Mexico came to San Diego to discuss their facility as a possible location for the SONGS spent fuel. They made the statement that, if the transfer was approved, they could get it done in five years. Given the long timelines and usual schedule delays in most nuclear projects, this would appear to be an over optimistic prediction.
The Texas site that has been suggested is managed by Waste Control Specialists. They want to expand their existing low-level waste facility but are having financial difficulties. These difficulties were exacerbated when the U.S. Justice department recently blocked a proposed merger.
Part 1 of 2 parts (Please read Part 2)
