We want to make sure you receive the latest information about what's happening at SONGS, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
From time to time, we'll send you an email with updates on the work taking place on site; information about the Community Engagement Panel; and important news and policy updates regarding finding an off-site location for SONGS spent nuclear fuel.
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SONGS welcomes Aliso Niguel High School
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After a nearly two-year hiatus due to COVID, high school tours returned to SONGS with more than 80 students from Aliso Niguel visiting this month.
The AP Environmental Science and AP Chemistry students comprised mostly juniors and seniors.
Teachers Kelli Murphy and Robert Burns have brought their students to tour SONGS since 2017. ANHS is the first large school group to visit SONGS since the pandemic, which caused the cancellation of tours for 2020 and 2021.
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In addition to seeing the demolition work and newly finished railyard, the students also learned about Radiation Protection, Security, Emergency Planning, and about the Environmental Monitoring programs in place during decommissioning.
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“I have been following SONGS for years and was sad to see it prematurely shut down," said Kyle Vastermark, one of the parent chaperones and a mechanical engineer, seen above at left. "It’s interesting to learn about the decommissioning work that is underway and see it firsthand.”
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SCE, key stakeholders respond to request for information on consent-based siting
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In December, the Department of Energy effectively restarted the federal spent nuclear fuel management program when it announced a request for information, or RFI, to help create the framework for a consent-based siting process for one or more federal interim storage facilities.
Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, the SONGS Community Engagement Panel leadership and the Action for Spent Fuel Solutions Now coalition submitted comments.
All the responses to the DOE from the public are available here.
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Project to store Greater-Than-Class-C waste underway
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Though considered low-level radioactive waste, Greater-Than-Class-C, or GTCC waste, must be stored on site at nuclear plants across the country. Just as with spent nuclear fuel, there is currently no federal repository to ship it to.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has established various classifications of low-level radioactive waste: Class A, B, C and GTCC.
SONGS is using the TN-NUHOMS storage system to store an additional 12 canisters of the GTCC material from the Unit 2 and 3 spent fuel pools and reactor components, such as the core barrel, which contained the fuel when the reactors were operating.
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During a practice dry run, the crew inserts a weighted GTCC canister into its storage module. Unused modules that had been in storage on site were added to the NUHOMS system to accommodate the additional canisters. The crews include experienced personnel who worked on previous NUHOMS loading campaigns at SONGS.
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The canisters are similar to those used to store spent nuclear fuel: 5/8" thick, 316L stainless steel, and welded-shut. The NUHOMS system currently holds one canister of GTCC waste from the Unit 1 reactor that was permanently retired in 1992. Spent fuel was first loaded into the NUHOMS system in 2003.
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Oceanside City Council passes resolution of support for coalition
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The Oceanside City Council on March 23 passed a resolution of support for the Action for Spent Fuel Solutions Now coalition.
The resolution reads in part, "a new coalition...provides an opportunity for stakeholders, including local governments, business and labor leaders, Native American leaders, environmental groups, and community members to join forces and make offsite spent fuel storage and/or disposal a priority..."
At the March 9 council meeting, a local activist group had wanted the council to consider a resolution it has brought forward to several other local communities. However, that resolution contains numerous errors of fact and fails to focus attention where it is most needed: getting the federal government to act to relocate the spent fuel now stored at SONGS.
Read the Coast News Group account of the March 9 meeting here.
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Turbine deck work may produce some visible smoke/steam
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Work on the turbine deck, 72-feet above sea-level, is highly visible.
With the completion of the removal of the large components located on top of the Unit 2 turbine deck we have moved on to removing the same components from the Unit 3 turbine deck. Like Unit 2, these large components are segmented using torches. Occasionally the torch cutting process will generate some visible smoke, which we work to minimize with a water spray system, and perhaps a small amount of steam. Should you notice this and have any concerns, please contact our decommissioning liaison at 1-800-681-6868.
Throughout this work our crews must adhere to established procedures for hot work.
Learn more about the turbine building work here.
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SONGS Speakers Bureau has busy March
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The SONGS Speakers Bureau visited with more than half-a-dozen community groups during the month of March, from Yorba Linda to San Diego.
In San Diego, we spoke to the local chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Throughout Orange County we spoke to Rotary and Lions clubs.
We also made a stop at the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce.
If you would like a SONGS representative to speak to your community group, email us at nuccomm@SONGS.SCE.com.
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A new video focusing on myths about spent nuclear fuel
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YouTube personality Kyle Hill has produced a video looking at some of the more popular myths surrounding spent nuclear fuel.
While some of the points would be better made with additional facts, overall it dispels much of the fear-mongering that is spread about spent nuclear fuel.
Take a look. Spoiler alert: there is a SONGS reference.
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Looking forward to a little warmer weather here in Southern California, which got us thinking about beaches, including one in Brazil.
Guarapari is a beach that has one of the highest levels of natural background radiation in the world. The source for the high dose levels is said to be monazite in the sand, which contains thorium.
The dose on the sand can be as high as 20 microsieverts an hour, which is equivalent to 2,000 microrem an hour. The area radiation monitors we have on site show the dose you'd receive standing in the middle of our spent fuel storage area is about 14 microrem an hour.
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Safety, Stewardship, Engagement. | www.SONGScommunity.com
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