Demolition Progress at SONGS

Since San Onofre permanently shut down in 2013, we have invited the local community to visit the site through public walking tours twice a month. More than 8,000 people have joined us to learn about nuclear power, see how we are safely dismantling the plant, storing used nuclear fuel, and ask the questions that matter most to them. Two questions come up most often: Why does the work take so long, and when will the domes come down?

Decommissioning a nuclear power plant is a complex process involving thousands of interconnected activities that must be completed safely and in the right sequence. Each step moves us closer to removing the two containment domes and underground structures so the property can ultimately be returned to the landowner, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

Along the way, we anticipate shipping more than one billion pounds of concrete, rebar, and industrial waste offsite.

That work takes time — about 10 years in all. We remain on track to complete the project by the end of 2028. Here is the latest progress:

  • We have now removed 52 of 66 structures from the site
  • Crews have shipped 731 million pounds of waste offsite since demolition started; more than 70 percent of the estimated project total
  • 3,085 rail cars have transported waste and materials offsite since the project began
Crews are now removing the interior structures and systems within the containment domes. They’ve already removed major components, including the Steam Generators and Reactor Vessels. Crews are essentially preparing the domes for exterior demolition, which is expected to begin in early 2027, starting with Unit 3 to the south. We will share more information about that process later this Fall.