SCE to Restart Fuel Transfer Operations at San Onofre Nuclear Plant
July 15 2019 - 5:07PM
Business Wire
Southern California Edison, after rigorous regulatory, internal
and third-party readiness and operational reviews, will restart
spent nuclear fuel transfer operations at the San Onofre nuclear
plant. SCE halted the transfer of fuel from wet to dry storage
following an incident last Aug. 3 when a canister became wedged
during the downloading process. The canister was eventually placed
safely into storage.
During the past 11 months, SCE and its contractor, Holtec, have
systematically reviewed and strengthened procedures, oversight and
training that directly supports a robust fuel transfer program. As
part of the reviews, new technologies have been introduced to
enhance the transfer process, such as cameras and load monitoring
gauges. Improvements were also made to the site’s corrective action
program to better assist in identifying potential issues early and
to support continuous learning.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspected SCE’s corrective
actions, as well as enhancements made to the overall program. The
commission independently reviewed the data provided on the
incidental contact the canisters make during downloading and found
the canisters maintain their safety function even with wear marks
and minor scratches. As a result, the commission determined that
SCE can safely resume downloading spent fuel canisters. The
supplemental inspection report released July 10 affirms that SCE
has addressed previously identified issues regarding fuel transfer
operations to the commission’s satisfaction.
“We’ve done a lot of work to ensure that going forward we will
be successful in safely loading and storing each and every spent
fuel canister,” said Doug Bauder, SCE vice president and chief
nuclear officer. “We’re confident the improvements we’ve made are
effective and sustainable. Our job now is to demonstrate that to
our stakeholders.”
The restart of fuel transfer operations will begin with a
canister that was previously loaded with spent fuel assemblies and
has been safely stored in a fuel handling building since August.
There are 44 canisters remaining to be placed into the dry storage
facility.
Moving spent nuclear fuel to dry storage is an important step in
the decommissioning of San Onofre. After receiving a coastal
development permit from the California Coastal Commission, SCE will
begin dismantling the plant and removing the major structures from
the site.
SCE will continue to provide timely updates on the progress made
during fuel transfer operations to the community and to
stakeholders.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California
Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a
population of approximately 15 million via 5 million customer
accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central,
Coastal and Southern California.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190715005805/en/
Media Contact: John Dobken, (626) 302-2255
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