ALJ/JPO/avs Mailed 7/21/2006

Decision 06-07-019 July 20, 2006

BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

Application of Southern California Edison Company (U 338-E) for Authorization: (1) to Replace San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Unit Nos. 2 & 3 (SONGS 2&3) Steam Generators; (2) Establish Ratemaking for Cost Recovery; and (3) Address Other Related Steam Generator Replacement Issues.

Application 04-02-026
(Filed February 27, 2004)

OPINION GRANTING INTERVENOR COMPENSATION
TO CALIFORNIA EARTH CORPS FOR
SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO DECISION 05-12-040

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

OPINION GRANTING INTERVENOR COMPENSATION TO CALIFORNIA Earth Corps FOR SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO
DECISION 05-12-040 2 2

1. Background 2 2

2. Requirements for Awards for Compensation 3 3

3. Procedural Issues 4 4

4. Substantial Contribution 5 5

Findings of Fact 21 21

Conclusions of Law 22 22

ORDER 23 23

OPINION GRANTING INTERVENOR COMPENSATION
TO CALIFORNIA Earth Corps FOR
SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO DECISION 05-12-040

This decision awards California Earth Corps (Earth Corps) $116,850.55 in compensation for its substantial contributions to Decision (D.) 05-12-040. This represents a decrease of $7,915.09 from the amount requested. This proceeding is closed.

1. Background

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Units 2 & 3 (SONGS) is a nuclear power plant with a capacity of approximately 2,150 megawatts jointly owned by Southern California Edison Company (SCE), San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E) and the cities of Anaheim and Riverside.¹ It is located on the California coast 62 miles southeast of Los Angeles, in San Diego County, near the City of San Clemente. The site is located within the boundaries of the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base (Pendleton). Each unit has two steam generators manufactured by Combustion Engineering, Inc. (CE). In each steam generator, the heat from water circulated through the reactor is used to turn another stream of water into steam to power turbines that turn electric generators.

SONGS is currently licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to operate until 2022. SCE estimated that SONGS will likely be required by the NRC to shut down in 2009 because of the degradation of the steam generators. As a result, SCE requested approval in this application of its steam generator replacement program (SGRP).

Hearings were held from January 30 through February 11, 2005. The application was submitted on June 21, 2005. D.05-12-040 approved the SGRP with specified conditions, and certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (Final EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

¹ San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Unit 1 is no longer operating and is not the subject of this proceeding.