San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Infobox NPP
Picture=San Onofre NPP cropped.jpg
Pic_des=San Onofre NPP
Unit-1
Supplier=Westinghouse
Status=D
Type=PWR
Unit-2, Unit-3
Supplier=CE - Combustion Engineering
Status=O
Type=PWR
Region=4The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) is a nuclear power plant located on the Pacific coast of California. The 84 acre (340,000 m²) site is in the northwestern corner of San Diego County, south of San Clemente, and surrounded by the San Onofre State Park. It provides nearly 20% of the electrical power to the residents of Southern California.

Unit 1 is no longer in service. This reactor was a first generation Westinghouse pressurized water reactor that operated for 25 years, closing permanently in 1992. Units 2 and 3, Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactors, continue to operate and generate 1,172 MW_e and 1,178 MW_e respectively.

The plant is operated by Southern California Edison. Edison International, parent of SCE, holds 78% ownership in the plant; San Diego Gas & Electric Company, 20%; and the City of Riverside Utilities Department, 1.8%.

The environment is protected from potential unexpected releseases of radioactivity by strong, sphere shaped containment structures. This containment structure feature was missing at the reactors at Chernobyl;

The closest fault line is the Christianitos fault, which is said to be inactive. San Diego County states the station was "built to withstand a 7.0 magnitude earthquake directly under the plant". [http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/oes/disaster_prep/earthquake/otherquest.html]

In popular culture

In the James W. Huston book, FALLOUT, Pakistani Air Force Pilots attempt to bomb San Onofre using stolen California Air National Guard F-16s.

The generating station was also featured in the 1983 film Koyaanisqatsi.

In James Bond book License Renewed by John Gardner, it was one of six nuclear power stations in the terrorist/blackmail plot "Meltdown" planned by The Laird of Murcaldy, Anton Murik

Original San Onofre Unit-1 Power Plant was used as the "Gotham City" Atomic Reactor in the 1960's Batman TV show starring Adam West.

In the science fiction novel Timescape, by Gregory Benford, the nuclear plants at San Onofre raised the water temperature along the adjacent coast, which stimulated aquatic life.

Visible from Interstate 5, the generating station containment domes are often compared in appearance to women's breasts. In the 1988 movie The Naked Gun, Frank Drebin says the line, "Everywhere I look something reminds me of her," as a shot of the domes is shown. They are also referred to as "nuclear tits" in the Descendents song "Kids On Coffee".

San Onofre was likely the inspiration for the fictional San Andreo Nuclear Generating Station mentioned in the television program The West Wing.

Environmental studies

The site is also notable for the environmental impact studies that were conducted prior to and after the power stations construction. The studies were ahead of their time in their level of detail and the use of an independent body to conduct the monitoring.

External links

* [http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/reactors/sanonofre.html DoE web page]
* [http://www.sce.com/PowerandEnvironment/PowerGeneration/SanOnofreNuclearGeneratingStation/default.htm?goto=songs SCE SONGS Webpage]
* [http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/08/22/news/top_stories/82105193953.txt Why Domes at San Onofre] from "North County Times"
* [http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1434565520080114?sp=true So. Calif. nuclear plant worker faked fire checks]