DATE:
August 26, 2025
01
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
CONTINUED ADVOCACY FOR THE REMOVAL AND RELOCATION OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL FROM THE SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION (SONGS) (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) operated in the northwest corner of San Diego County for more than 47 years. The station ceased all nuclear operations in June 2013 after excessive vibrations and other issues degraded tubes in the steam generators. Stored on the site today is 1,400 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel, a direct byproduct of 45 years of nuclear power operations. SONGS is currently in year five of an eight-year dismantling process of facilities and equipment at the site.
At this time, the federal government has not provided a permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel that could accept SONGS' spent fuel. Because of this, Southern California Edison (SCE) must continue to store the nuclear waste onsite, in dry cask storage, indefinitely. The spent fuel must be relocated offsite for the SONGS site to be fully restored and for the land to be returned to the U.S. Navy to support the national security mission of training Marines.
It's important to note that an emerging "nuclear renaissance" is bringing helpful attention to spent fuel. Artificial intelligence and data centers require an exponential growth in electricity generation and next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs) can help address this growing demand for power. The prospect of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in the U.S. for use in advanced reactors is at the research and development phase. A May 23, 2025, presidential executive order (EO) stated, "Swift and decisive action is required to jumpstart America's nuclear energy industrial base." The EO calls on the Secretary of Energy to submit a plan by January 2026 for "transferring spent nuclear fuel from reactors to a government-owned, privately operated reprocessing...facility" and "the efficie...
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