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Newsom wants to keep Diablo Canyon in SLO County open past 2025

April 29, 2022

By KAREN VELIE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering attempting to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo County open beyond its planned closure in 2025. [L.A. Times]

On Thursday, Newsom told the L.A. Times editorial board the state would seek $6 billion in federal funds that the Biden Administration allocated for rescuing nuclear reactors facing closure. The Biden Administration has previously encouraged California to consider keeping Diablo Canyon open, rather than shutting it down by 2025.

“The requirement is by May 19 to submit an application, or you miss the opportunity to draw down any federal funds if you want to extend the life of that plant,” Newsom said. “We would be remiss not to put that on the table as an option.”

State officials could decide later whether to pursue that option, Newsom said. A spokesperson for Newsom clarified that the governor still wants to see Diablo Canyon shut down long term.

Newsom said he has been talking about keeping Diablo Canyon open since Aug. 2020, when the state started experiencing rolling blackouts. It is unclear, though, if PG&E is onboard with the idea.

Newsom said he has asked PG&E to consider what it would take to keep Diablo Canyon open longer, including the possibility of acquiring federal funds.

“Based on the conversations we’ve been having with PG&E, it’s not their happy place,” Newsom said.

When asked if the utility is open to keeping Diablo Canyon running past its planned closure date, PG&E spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo said the company is “always open to considering all options to ensure continued, safe, reliable and clean energy delivery to our customers.”

Anthony York, Newsom’s spokesperson, said the governor’s decision to reconsider the planned closure of Diablo Canyon was driven by projections of possible power shortages over the next few years.

Reliable electricity is profoundly important, Newsom said. The governor also acknowledged the growing number of scientists and activists, as well as former U.S. energy secretaries, who have pressed him to keep Diablo Canyon open for climate-related reasons.

“Some would say it’s the righteous and right climate decision,” Newsom said.

Locally, Republican Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham and Democratic San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg have called for officials to consider whether Diablo Canyon should remain open at least 10 years past its scheduled decommissioning.


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Rational, serious, forward-thinking leaders and environmentalists have always understood that nuclear power generated electricity is vital and irreplaceable in the energy generation mix needed by large modern societies. Newsom is way too late to this realization.


16

Keep this plan just between us, K?

Collect billion$ from the Feds.

We rename Morro Bay —-> Diablo

We recommission (new) Diablo

There-i-fixed-it


5

I got a LONG chuckle when hearing this idiocy! Talk about a COLOSSAL day late and a dollar short. Newsom was a key person leading the charge on closure of Diablo in 2025, regardless of what science was saying. The last opportunity to have arranged Diablo to extend its operation beyond 2025 was a number of years ago when PG&E was actively in the process of pursuing NRC approval of its operating license for another 20 years at least. But all of the operational extension wheels (which takes many years to plan and process) stopped turning years ago as the “agreement” was approved to close Diablo by 2025. Since then, a lot has occurred that has forced PG&E to determine that it can no longer keep Diablo operating beyond 2025. Diablo’s closure has been underway since the agreement. Plant long-term maintenance has been scaled back, contracts for future equipment and supplies have been terminated, and important plant personnel have been released. The “nuclear risk” is just far too high for the company continue its operation. If California NOW wants to keep it running, then CALIFORNIA will have to purchase the plant in its entirety, hire full new operational personnel, remove all environmental roadblock regulations, and fully take responsibility for Diablo’s nuclear risk and all nuclear waste. I have always been in favor of extending Diablo’s operation as originally planned, under PG&E. But the company is no longer positioned and prepared to continue its operation beyond 2025. It is finally time for clueless Newsom to step down as CA Governor and get an intelligent person in that position (which leaves all fascist Republicans out of the running). Wake up American public! This nation is driving itself into the ground due to a national disease of lack of intelligence and acting on pure cluelessness. Diablo’s closure is a supreme example of this absurdity.


48

This has to be done as Diablo Canyon produces a huge amount of our “green”, no-CO2 energy. If not, these items will happen:


1. CO2 production will jump (more coal and Natural Gas use)

2. Electricity rates will jump further, locking California into the Number one spot for energy costs

3. There will be more Blackouts

4. Tens of thousands of additional birds will be killed by windmills

5. More businesses will leave the state with another cost increase, and unreliable energy sources


Is Newsom doing this as a political CYA?


9

Newsom led the coastal commission when they held their water permit hostage for Diablo to agree to shut down in 2025.


2

notice that he wasn’t the least bit interested until the gov’t showed up with buckets of cash. now he realizes “Reliable electricity is profoundly important”.


Where was he a couple years ago when any fool could see we were in trouble?


66

It is expensive, and reality set in.


7

I’m sorry – you’re expecting the pols to do what’s actually good for the state? BWAAAAAAAAH!

That’s rich! They’re convinced that the electricity will magically appear and it will be enough to power all our electric cars (because gas engines will be extinct).


Power from oil/coal/gas from other states is our green energy (I believe the electrons get stripped of their GHG’s when they reach the state line).


31

So now that I’m part of District 2, where is the angry and morally challenged Bruce Gibson on this?


44

Not surprising since officials have done nothing to plan for the lose of tax dollars from the closure, if fact financially things are worse and tax and fee increases are going to happen and will have to be much larger without Diablo tax dollars. Cutting expenses is not in official’s vocabulary.


34

Plan on 2040


10

Even Newsom knows, solar and wind power has no chance to make enough energy for the state…or the future.


46
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