Between the Domes: Demolition Work Progressing Safely, Efficiently

We reached another milestone in our dismantlement work at San Onofre – the demolition of the Control Building - which housed the plant’s nuclear operations center. Once a vibrant epicenter of activity that generated 2400 megawatts of clean energy for California, nearly all that remains now are neatly sorted piles of concrete rubble, steel and rebar, cables, and wiring for recycling or disposal. This material is now being packaged and shipped offsite via railcars and trucks to disposal facilities in Utah, Arizona, and Texas. You can learn more about how we classify and package our waste shipments here.

Overall, we expect more than one billion pounds of decommissioned material will be removed from the site over the duration of the project, the majority by rail. To date, more than 1,000 rail car shipments have left the site.

As we have shared before, safe demolition of a nuclear power plant is a carefully choreographed process that takes time and is dependent upon the successful completion of each task to move forward. Our workers thoroughly prepare for each evolution, ensuring an understanding of the job and the procedures, and use of the right tools and personal protective equipment.

SCE and its decommissioning general contractor, SONGS Decommissioning Solutions, remain committed to working safely in full compliance with our regulators while protecting the health and wellbeing of our workers, the environment, and communities around us.

The photo carousel includes recent photos of the control building demolition. We also encourage you to join us at our quarterly Community Engagement Panel Meetings to hear firsthand about our progress.