About Us
Employees at SONGS come to work each day understanding that they have a personal stake in the plant's safe operation. After all, SCE employees not only work here, many of them and their families live in the surrounding communities. They are involved in local community organizations, churches, clubs and schools, and they might even be your neighbor. Let us introduce you to a few of our local residents.
Chris Ahola, Manager, Site Recovery Division
"Moving across the country is never an easy decision, but when the destination is San Clemente, that makes it a little bit easier. I left the cold winters of Massachusetts 20 years ago so I could take a position in the SONGS Health Physics department, and haven't looked back since.
My wife, Karen, and I have four children who have all attended local schools, Concordia Elementary, Shorecliffs Middle School and San Clemente High. We are actively involved with AYSO soccer, plus the Victory and San Clemente High lacrosse programs, where my oldest son is the goalie on the varsity team. In addition, I have coached several AYSO soccer teams in the past and continue to volunteer as a soccer referee on the weekends.
Karen is very involved in the San Clemente community, currently serving as the Associate Director at Casa Romantica Cultural Center & Gardens, the former home of Ole Hanson who created our Spanish Village by the Sea. Both of us enjoy raising our children in a city with a small town feel where we can stay involved in city issues to help protect its character.
Until last year, I had spent 19 years in the Health Physics department which is responsible for radiation protection, and the shipping and receiving of all radioactive material from SONGS. This department is known for maintaining high standards and for providing leadership. The leadership skills I learned while in Health Physics are very useful in my new role as a manager in Site Recovery. This department was created to ensure the continued excellence of the plant's performance.
I am proud to be a nuclear professional and proud to work at SONGS where we produce clean, safe, reliable energy without creating any greenhouse gases."
Katherine Lyons, Project Analyst, Operations and Nuclear Communications
"San Clemente has been my home for every summer of my life, as my family vacationed here when I was a child, and then moved here permanently in 1977. I have two sons that I am very proud of, David and Steven, who both attended Ole Hanson Elementary School, Shorecliffs Middle School and San Clemente High School. David is now an environmental scientist and Steven is in the U.S. Coast Guard. As you can imagine from their professions, being outdoors in the city with the “world’s best climate” has been very important to us, where surfing, walks on the beach, and local youth soccer and basketball programs have been a big part of our lives. I really enjoy San Clemente’s small town atmosphere, and am proud to be a member of the San Clemente Historical Society, Surfrider Foundation and the California State Parks Foundation.
I have worked at SONGS for about three years now and am excited about the positive changes I have seen taking place. My work in Operations and Nuclear Communications is unique in that I’m involved with some of the “behind-the scenes” work at the plant, while also supporting our public education and community outreach efforts. I think I am most proud of the positive effect SONGS has had on the environment, with our work on the Wheeler North Reef and San Dieguito wetlands. These projects are going to help maintain the important natural habitats of marine life for future generations, something that is certainly near and dear to my heart."
Craig Harberts, Manager, Steam Generator Replacement
"I’ve lived in San Clemente for 30 years, having moved from Iowa in 1980, when I started working for Southern California Edison. I have been married to my wife Dorothy, who I met at work, for 23 years and we have three children, Daniel who is 20 and attends Cal State University, Northridge, Cassie, 17, a senior at San Clemente High School and Steven, 14, an 8th grader at Bernice Ayer Middle School. Our family loves the small town atmosphere of the San Clemente community. We will never forget how the community supported our family when Daniel was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 3. The outpouring of love and concern for our family during this ordeal was one of the reasons we were able to manage through that difficult time in our lives. Our kids have been active in local sports activities such as youth soccer and basketball and we have been fortunate to make numerous long time friends as an outcome. We are also very active in San Clemente Presbyterian Church.
My work at SONGS has included a number of different jobs, including Plant Startup Engineer, then a Component Engineer for the Steam Generators, an Outage Manager, and my current position as the Engineering Manager for the Steam Generator Replacement Project. In this role, I am responsible for the fabrication of our new steam generators in Kobe, Japan and for the engineering needed for installation. The Steam Generator Replacement is the largest project ever undertaken at the plant, which is a testimony to the company's investment in SONGS to ensure the plant is able to produce pollution-free energy for the community and Southern California. My job is important to the ongoing production of this safe and reliable source of electricity which will support our children and grandchildren for years to come."
Jose Perez, Manager, Generation Planning & Strategy
"I've lived in San Clemente, the Spanish Village by the Sea, for about nine years with my wife, Cathi, and our two little dogs, Frostie and Mindy. In addition to the beautiful climate, the beaches, and the beach trail, I love the small town atmosphere and all the community events. My wife and I are both active in our favorite event, the San Clemente Ocean Festival. In fact, we've become members of the Board, helping out with the Children's Pavilion and the product sales. We also help our neighbor to the south, Camp Pendleton, and in an effort to thank those that serve us, I've become a member of the Armed Services YMCA Board, and I assist in the many events that the organization puts on for the Marines and their families.
Until last year, my work at SONGS encompassed managing the station's finance, business and state regulatory issues. That meant working with our budget, business partners, and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to get the resources we needed for the plant. Currently, I am working on SONGS’ license renewal. I am managing a team of plant and corporate employees to develop and submit regulatory documents to the CPUC to obtain funding for processing an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that would allow for 20 more years of operation.
This is an exciting time for SONGS. There's a lot of good people who work at the plant and the plant itself still has a lot of life left in it. Having SONGS around will allow Southern California residents to continue to have access to a diverse source of fuel with only a minimal amount of pollution going into the atmosphere."
Economic Benefits of SONGS
SONGS is a major economic and job contributor to local communities and employs 2,600 employees.
An average of 9,400 jobs directly and indirectly supported each year through operations and maintenance of SONGS.
More than $20 million annually in state tax revenue that support local and state services.
SONGS Plant Facts
One of San Onofre’s two generating units, Unit 2, went into commercial operation in 1983 and can provide roughly 1,100 megawatts of power to the Southern California grid. Unit 3 began operation in 1984 and has a similar generating capacity. Unit 1, a smaller unit, went into service Jan. 1, 1968 and was retired in 1992.
San Onofre uses “pressure water reactors” similar in design to 69 of the 104 operating U.S. reactors.
SONGS is the only large Southern California power plant that is virtually free of pollutants and carbon emissions. There are no smoke stacks at San Onofre. 18 square miles of solar panels would be needed to duplicate the amount of clean power generated by San Onofre’s two units.
The plant is essential to the electricity grid serving Orange and San Diego County. The large amount of energy it can generate is needed to meet energy demand. The voltage support it provides keeps the region’s grid stable much like a water system requires both adequate water and pressure. And the intertia created by San Onofre’s heavy turbines and generators helps keeps the lights on during significant power system disruptions.
San Onofre produces 19 percent of the power used by SCE customers. Nuclear power provides roughly 20 percent of all U.S. electricity and is the nation’s No. 1 source of emission-free electricity.
San Onofre provides the region with more than $200 million in annual economic benefits through 2,600 high-paying skilled jobs. The 2009-2010 steam generator replacement project added $300 million in local economic benefits. In addition, the plant pays approximately $20 million annually in property taxes that support local services. And Southern California Edison and its employees provide local charities with more than $300,000 annually contributions plus thousands of hours of voluntary community service.
San Onofre is jointly owned by SCE (78.21%), San Diego Gas & Electric (20%), and the City of Riverside (1.79%).
The plant is currently licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate until 2022.