Integrated program management and environmental compliance supporting the long鈥憈erm decommissioning of a major coastal nuclear facility in California.
Designing the next chapter of Southern California鈥檚 nuclear energy legacy
The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) has played a significant role in Southern California鈥檚 energy system for decades. Its decommissioning marks a shift not only for the site itself, but for the owners, regulators, and communities connected to it. Nuclear decommissioning is a long鈥憈erm, highly regulated process, shaped as much by planning and coordination as by physical works. Since 2016, we have supported the SONGS decommissioning program through a joint venture with Energy Solutions, providing program management and technical services as the facility moves through the stages of closure.
A complex regulatory and environmental challenge
Work at SONGS takes place within a dense regulatory environment. Federal, state, and local agencies oversee safety, environmental protection, and land use, while the site鈥檚 coastal setting introduces additional scrutiny related to marine and terrestrial resources. Ownership is shared among multiple utilities, adding further governance considerations. The program extends across a 10鈥� to 20鈥憏ear horizon, requiring consistent controls and institutional knowledge as activities, contractors, and regulatory expectations change over time. Managing this complexity is as much an organizational challenge as a technical one.
Integrated program management at the core
Our role focuses on providing the program structure that allows this work to move forward in a coordinated way. We support scheduling, financial management, contracting, and overall program governance, alongside engineering, operations, environmental, and construction management services. This integrated approach helps connect day鈥憈o鈥慸ay field activity with longer鈥憈erm planning and regulatory commitments. Team size adjusts with the work, scaling from a core group to several hundred staff during more intensive phases, while maintaining continuity in program oversight.
Embedding long-term environmental stewardship
Environmental planning and compliance are woven into the program rather than treated as standalone tasks. We support ongoing compliance with a wide range of permits and conditions, including coastal development requirements, stormwater and discharge controls, air quality permitting, and biological monitoring. The work also includes sustained coordination with regulatory agencies and coordination with tribes associated with the site. This continuity supports informed decision鈥憁aking as conditions evolve and helps maintain alignment between decommissioning activities and environmental commitments over time.
Steady progress, transferable lessons
The SONGS decommissioning program is still in progress, but it has established a framework for managing a complex closure over many years. The work is being delivered within a rate鈥慶ase budget of approximately US$4.4 billion, with more than US$1 billion in services delivered. Beyond the site itself, the program offers practical lessons for other utilities facing similar transitions, showing how integrated program management and sustained environmental oversight can support orderly progress through long鈥憈erm infrastructure change.