Coastal erosion renews scrutiny over stored waste at California nuclear site

The short version

• Severe ocean waves and coastal erosion have revived debate surrounding 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste stored at the decommissioned San Onofre plant near San Clemente.[Slashdot]
• Southern California Edison maintains the coastal storage facility can resist significant earthquakes and tsunamis without flooding before 2050, though it has pledged to shift canisters inland if rising seas require it.[Slashdot]
• Deconstruction of the plant's twin containment domes is set to begin next year, while the radioactive materials will remain on the coastline indefinitely.[Slashdot]
• Utilities continue filing annual legal claims against the federal government over storage obligations, which a plant decommissioning official estimates costs taxpayers $2 million per day.[Slashdot]

Key facts

• The closed San Onofre nuclear facility holds 3.6 million pounds of high-level nuclear material along the beach near San Clemente.[Slashdot]
• Southern California Edison intends to start dismantling the plant's twin reactor core domes early next year.[Slashdot]
• The utility agreed with the California Coastal Commission to transfer canisters to higher ground on-site if future erosion and sea level modeling indicates a need.[Slashdot]
• Edison officials assert that the seawall will avoid flooding before 2050 based on state data and can endure credible tsunamis and a magnitude 7.0 earthquake.[Slashdot]
• Annual utility lawsuits against the federal government over unmet fuel disposal promises cost taxpayers an estimated $2 million daily.[Slashdot]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• As Part of California's Coast Begins to Crumble, Is the Clock Ticking on Moving Radioactive Waste?Slashdot