San Onofre nuclear power plant dismantling will cost $4.4 billion, take 20 years

Dismantling the San Onofre nuclear power plant in Southern California will take two decades and cost $4.4 billion.

Southern California Edison on Friday released a road map that calls for decommissioning the twin-reactor plant and restoring the property over two decades, beginning in 2016.

U-T San Diego (http://bit.ly/1oZUoTU ) says it could be the most expensive decommissioning in the 70-year history of the nuclear power industry. But Edison CEO Ted Craver says there's already enough money to pay for it.

Edison shut down the plant in 2012 after extensive damage was found to tubes carrying radioactive water. It was closed for good last year.

Edison plans to store the spent nuclear fuel in steel canisters at the site indefinitely until the federal government comes up with a permanent storage solution.