Decommissioning San Onofre & Doing the Right Thing for the Community

Southern California Edison plans to safely decommission San Onofre in full compliance with state and federal regulations. We are doing so in a timely manner, while making plans and updates available to the public.

We are committed to meeting our responsibilities and doing the right thing for our region throughout this process. Work was completed in August 2020 to move the plant’s spent nuclear fuel, previously cooling in pools, into dry storage, where it will remain until the federal government creates the long-term storage option that it has committed to implement. We installed a radiation monitoring system specifically for the dry spent fuel storage facility to enable public agencies to track readings, providing additional information to the public. With the beginning of dismantlement activity in early 2020, we are providing quarterly updates to the local community on our progress.

We are committed to leaving the community better off as a result of having been home to San Onofre for 50 years. Throughout the eight year deconstruction process, we will work diligently to ensure compliance with environmental permits and regulations. We conduct frequent surveys of the land, water, and wildlife around SONGS and we will continue to support the revitalization of coastal wetlands and marine habitats, including the San Dieguito Wetlands Restoration Project and the recently expanded Wheeler North Reef. The owners also recognize their legal responsibility to spend the Nuclear Decommissioning Trust funds wisely and return any unused monies to ratepayers.

We are dedicated to managing the decommissioning process in an inclusive, forward-thinking, and responsible way. This commitment includes bringing together diverse stakeholders from the community for an open conduit of information and ideas through the Community Engagement Panel (CEP). The CEP comprises representatives from surrounding cities and counties, including elected officials and public servants, as well as representatives of the U.S. military, local environmental organizations, the business and labor communities, local law enforcement and local schools and academic institutions. The CEP holds quarterly meetings in communities near San Onofre.