San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS)
The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) officially ceased operation on June 7, 2013. The plant was built by Bechtel Corporation south of San Clemente on 84 acres leased from the US Marine Corps’ Camp Pendleton. The plant’s first unit, Unit 1, operated from 1968 to 1992. Unit 2 was started in 1983 and Unit 3 was started in 1984. Upgrades designed to last 20 years were made to the reactor units in 2009 and 2010; however, both reactors were shut down in January 2012. Edison International subsidiary Southern California Edison (SCE), as major stakeholder, is responsible for the management, operations and decommissioning of the plant. Located between the ocean and Interstate 5, the station’s twin hemispherical containment buildings will remain prominent reminders of the plant for most of the 2020s.
San Clemente, Orange County
Photographer: John Bare