PG&E files application with NRC to extend operations at Diablo Canyon - KSBY News
PG&E files application with NRC to extend operations at Diablo Canyon
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) on Tuesday filed a License Renewal Application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) seeking to extend operations at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant for up to 20 more years.
The operating licenses for the nuclear power plant’s two units were scheduled to expire in 2024 and 2025. But in Sept. 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 846, allowing for extended operations at Diablo Canyon until 2030.
That bill was passed amid increasing calls to keep the power plant running as the State of California works to transition to more renewable sources of energy.
The Diablo Canyon Power Plant reportedly produces more than 8% of the state’s electricity supply.
“PG&E is committed to answering the state’s call to ensure the continued operation of the facility and safely deliver affordable, reliable and clean energy for California,” said PG&E Corporation Chief Executive Officer Patti Poppe in a press release.
The NRC’s application review process could take years, but PG&E previously received approval to keep the power plant in operation during that review.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.