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PG&E to close Diablo Canyon

June 21, 2016

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power PlantBy JOSH FRIEDMAN

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. announced plans to close Diablo Canyon power plant when the licenses to operate its two nuclear reactors expire in 2024 and 2025. The decision is being celebrated by environmental groups as the end of nuclear power in California, while others are concerned about the ensuing financial impact on the Central Coast.

Diablo Canyon has been in operation since 1985. The nuclear plant generates about 9 percent of California’s annual electricity production, according to PG&E.

In 2009, PG&E applied to renew it licenses to operate Diablo Canyon. But in 2011, PG&E paused the license renewal process to evaluate seismic concerns.

Multiple earthquake faults lie within several miles of the nuclear plant. Also in 2011, the Fukushima, Japan nuclear disaster reignited concerns among environmental groups and community members about the safety of Diablo Canyon.

California’s only other nuclear plant, San Onofre, closed permanently in 2013.

On Monday, PG&E reached an agreement with environmental and labor organizations on the closure of Diablo Canyon. The agreement calls for the utility to replace the power generated by nuclear reactors with a portfolio of greenhouse gas-free renewable energy resources.

Parties to the agreement include Friends of the Earth, the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, the Coalition of California Utility Employees and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245.

There are currently about 1,483 Central Coast residents who are employed at Diablo Canyon. Most employees are expected to be offered jobs in the renewable energy industry.

PG&E’s transition away from nuclear energy is due in large part to a California regulation that mandates renewables account for at least 50 percent of the utility’s retail power sales by 2030. Some observers say that regulation, as well as the increasing regulatory scrutiny on nuclear power, removed the financial incentive to maintain operations at Diablo Canyon.

The closure of the nuclear plant will result in an approximately $920 million annual loss to the economies of San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, according to a 2013 study commissioned by PG&E. The Nuclear Energy Institute and Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business authored the report.

PG&E’s agreement to close Diablo Canyon states the nuclear plant currently generates about $22 million in local property taxes. That total could decline to zero by 2025, according to the agreement.

PG&E is offering to compensate SLO County an estimated $49.5 million for the loss of tax revenue. The utility expects to recover that amount through nuclear decommission funding.

The San Luis Coastal Unified School District receives more than $10 million, or about 16 percent of its operating budget, from PG&E taxes, according to a recent estimate released by State Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel). It is unclear how much money the school district will be able to recoup.

 


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True environmentalists know that nuclear power is our only avenue to clean fuel.

But now we’re going to carve the earth up for solar panels and kill whatever birds are left with windmills.

The purposeful destruction of California by the progressives is working and we’ll eventually nose dive into a Detroit-like depression.

Fire up them wood-burning stoves baby, cough cough.


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True environmentalists know you have no idea, so they don’t reply…


” Detroit-like depression” lol, when you spout silly run on concepts, no one takes you seriously.


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Do tell Kettle, what is acceptable as a source of safe power for the masses?


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see below


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Have you been to the cal valley solar farm, that’s OK by you I assume?? why is it acceptable to cover thousands of acres of land with butt ass ugly panels, run untold amounts of wild life away from their natural habitat but its not ok to build a hydro plant and kill a few fish? kinda hypocritical isnt it?


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“I assume” Yes you did.


“kinda hypocritical isn’t it?” No, You miss the big picture.


California Renewables are a mixture, including large hydro and small.


If you cared you could educate yourself and help out, however complaining is less work.


There is not one answer to our future power issues, but you can pretend there is, if that is what you are into


Were you one of the “peak oil” people?


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C’mon SLO! We can bungle this like Morro Bay did with their power plant!


Some predict a dis incorporation of the City of MB now that their easy money power plant has been shuttered. What happens when a county gets pulled from the teat ???


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Yup!


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I, for one, am thrilled that this high polluter is about to be closed. For the record, the real cash was going to the Rothschilds, who are the main stock holders in the most expensive possible way of creating electricity. Of coarse there are those who attempt to tell us that it is “safe”, even after FUKUSHIMA, which one would thing would be in your face enough for even the dimmest wit to comprehend.


But no. There are still those (most likely sucking on the PG&E tit) that prefer to pretend that the elevated cancer rates and childhood leukemia in the vicinity of the plant does not exist. Or the constant threat of leaks, or the problem of safe storage of plutonium, which is manufactured by the ton every year by these devil machines and is so toxic that one atom is enough to cause cancer and it has a half life of 250,000 years? Just where could we put that stuff and be sure that it would not end up somewhere else in that amount of time? But then, who wants to have to be that responsible to the future? Who cares?


In the long run, PG$E, being a public utility, is granted a 13% rate of return on their investment. This means that no matter what stupid thing they do or saddle us with, they are guaranteed that profit. And we pick up the tab. No matter what they do. So, the more expensive it is, the more money they make. Please take that into consideration.


I am also not panicking over the lost revenue. How, pray tell, does any other municipality that is lacking one of these massive liabilities, make do without the “revenue”? You do realize that all the costs incurred for clean up of these monsters ends up back on us? It would have been far cheaper to scrap it after it was built and never run than having to deal with all the complications now. There was a study done within the PUC that never saw the official light of day that proved it. Yeah. Don’t ask.


Perhaps when this decommissioning is accomplished (and I am praying it happens sooner than stated, as the damn thing is a catastrophy waiting to happen), we can start to see some revenue from the green and renewable power sources that will be our future. Our county had the first real solar co., the largest of its kind. We are capable of excellence and I have no doubt that we will rise to the occasion.


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San Luis Coastal School needs to start preparing their budgets immediately so that do not coming running (crying like babies) to the taxpayers for their shortfall in revenue. All though Mothers for Peace have prayed for this day so go to them for additional funding. YOu have ten years to figure out how to do this so get ready now (glad I am no longer in your district)..,


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Where’s the money going to come from to pay for all those HIGH PAID City Managers, COPS and County employees ?


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The voters of SLO County will continue to pass bonds that pay for anything/everything imaginable. These senseless residents get some kind of euphoric feeling every time they vote ‘YES’ on a proposition intended to pile on more tax burdens. Total insanity!


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Yeah, the county needs a big fat reality check on the salaries they pay to some of the losers they hire.


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Now we better start decommissioning some school bloat.


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The HezboEnvironmentalists have gotten what they wanted….


Now where will they get the 9% of the State’s power from and how will they replace the County tax base and Jobs?


This is a case of losing while “winning”.


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There are currently about 1,483 Central Coast residents who are employed at Diablo Canyon. Most employees are expected to be offered jobs in the renewable energy industry.


WHAT renewable energy industry?

Do the math folks…do you know how many solar panels it would take to replace 9% of the State’s Electrical Power? We would have to clear cut Oak Trees and line the hills with panels. No…these folks are just out of a job and we all know it!


Brought to you by the caring left….


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“HezboEnvironmentalists” “WHAT renewable energy industry?”


Again and again you show us that you can’t do the math, but can cut n paste slogans.


We have done the math and it is going forward, yell at the clouds all you want but please get out of the way, the future is happening now.


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In what form Kettle? hydro, Not, as were tearing down dams to save fish, wind? nope they kill birds, solar ? you want millions of acres of earth burning black panels littering our public lands? There will be millions of pounds of pollution from producing or futuristic renewable junk in China where environmental regulations do not exist. I think its some of you self proclaimed enviro’s need to be educated on whats taking place in the real world, not the slo bubble.


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We are not going anywhere with that attitude, sort of a future hater eh?


I am educated, we will need strings of huge wind machines offshore of Morro Bay and Diablo, Moss landing etc(grid connections) don’t worry about the birds. All new construction will have roof top solar, you will have some too because that power bill is going up.


Pg&e will use this to raise rates and that will further drive smaller solar parks and more peak shifting of loads to off peak hours, You know you are going to time of use on your pge service, right?


“millions of acres of earth burning black panels littering our public lands?” Drama much?


Stupid giant solar plants are mostly just corporations screwing us to make easy money, because it’s “solar” is irrelevant because it’s all about the money.


Please don’t let made up outrage replace facts.


Fun fact, more than 50% of the power generated in the US is lost to inefficiencies, steam leakage, wire resistance and more!


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This is just another attempt to return us to the dark ages. these same elated groups fight wind power, solar power, pipelines, off shore drilling, ship tankering, and rail tankering.

This is hypocrisy’s finest hour.


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Once again California goes the wrong direction on energy. They SHOULD decommission the two reactors…. and build 4 new state of the art reactors in their place. The activists are stuck in the 70s with their doom and gloom. Where are the dead bodies?


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That would be 100% the environmentally sensitive thing to so. Ain’t gonna happen though. Sad…


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It has been very interesting to watch people throw themselves into arrest way in protest and then there was the intervener monies paid by PG&E to fund the “official” protest group like Mothers For Peace, monies paid to compensated for the benefits derived by their objections. I’m interest in the transformation and what it will be? More RV spaces, a nature conservancy opportunity or just an ongoing expense to maintain a safe storage of the glowing waste. Regardless, the cash flow will change and the little piggy’s will have suckle something other than PG&E. Hydro, photovoltaic, lights out earlier and more sweat on hot days will be the long term answers for sustainable power. Oh yes, no more free money.


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The San Luis Coastal Unified School District had better begin to start adjusting its budgets now. Diablo Canyon has been a huge cash cow for the district. Once Diablo is closed, the district has better not start asking for a raise in taxes.


Do more with less San Luis Coastal Unified School District! Begin by halting or at least scaling back your Measure D funded wet dreams. The last thing we need now are more unneeded buildings that need to be maintained.


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