San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant Shut Down

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Source: NRC

Southern California Edison announced it will permanently shut down the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant in California.  The plant has been closed since early 2012 due to a leak, which upon further investigation revealed significant maintenance problems.  San Onofre, located on the coast in Pendleton, California between Los Angeles and San Diego, joins four other nuclear power plants in California that have been shut down over the years.

• San Onofre; Pendleton, CA (San Diego County); closed 2012
• Rancho Seco; Herald, CA (Sacramento County); closed 1989
• Humboldt Bay; Eureka, CA (Humboldt County); closed 1983
• Santa Susana Sodium Reactor Experiment; Simi Valley, CA (Ventura County); closed 1964
• Vallecitos Nuclear Station; Pleasanton, CA (Alameda County); closed 1963

The only remaining nuclear power plant in California is PG&E's Diablo Canyon, located in Avila Beach, CA (San Luis Obispo County). 

The downside of the closure of San Onofre is that Southern Californians will consume higher cost, higher carbon electricity in the immediate future.  Nuclear does not count as renewable under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).  Therefore, with California's 2020 RPS target of 33% renewable power, the utility owners of San Onofre will replace the output of San Onofre with 67% fossil fuel generation.  

My own position is that despite the benefits nuclear power has provided to California, it was never a good idea in the first place to install expensive power plants without a viable long-term fuel storage or re-processing plan.  In addition, California lost valuable natural coast to the enormous plants, and as Japan has shown, nuclear power in seismically active regions is a risky proposition.  

The closure of San Onofre will undoubtedly lead to more pressure from activists regarding the license renewal of Diablo Canyon.  The licenses for Diablo Canyon's two nuclear reactors are currently set to expire in 2024 and 2025, but PG&E has filed an application to extend the licenses for an additional 20 years.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has set up a website specifically for members of the public to learn how they can get involved with the license renewal decision.