As Power Buildup Fails, Chances Grow California Preserves Nuclear Plant
Prospects are rising that California policymakers will reverse their previous stances and decide to keep the state’s remaining nuclear power plant — Diablo Canyon — open past its scheduled 2025 shutdown, as power generators fail to build up enough electricity capacity to cover the state during hotter summers caused by climate change, officials say.
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.