Nuclear Regulatory Commission to Hold Meeting Tonight about Decommissioning SONGS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is scheduled to hold a public meeting in Carlsbad in San Diego County tonight to take comment on the decommissioning plan for the idle San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

Southern California Edison, the majority owner of the facility on the northern San Diego County coast just beyond the Orange County line, announced last year that it would retire its two reactors instead of trying to restart them. Detailed plans for the decommissioning process, which could take a couple of decades, were submitted the plan to the NRC last month.

The plant has been inoperative since January 2012, when a small, non- injury leak was detected in one of the reactors. The other unit was shut down at the time for maintenance.

Subsequent investigations placed the blame on an inadequate design for steam generators that were installed only a couple of years earlier. Faced with a costly restart process, Edison opted to shutter the plant.

The NRC plans to discuss how the plant will be inspected and issues regarding spent fuel, and take public comment at the meeting, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad.

--City News Service

PHOTO Patch file photo.

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