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Diablo Canyon can continue operating past 2025

March 2, 2023

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

By KAREN VELIE

PG&E can continue operating Diablo Canyon Power Plant past 2025 while the utility works through the relicensing process, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said on Thursday.

PG&E had planned on shutting down the nuclear power plant in 2025. However, the utility has since received backing from both federal and state officials for extending the operating life of Diablo Canyon through 2030, with a goal of providing Californians electric reliability.

PG&E needs to obtain license renewals from the NRC, as well as regulatory approval from other federal and state agencies in order to keep operating the plant past 2025. A regulation, however, requires nuclear power plants to file renewal applications at least five years before their existing license is set to expire.

PG&E requested an exemption to the regulation, which the NRC approved Thursday.

PG&E is planning to file a new license renewal application by the end of 2023, while it continues to operate under the existing licenses.

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A greater surprise will be no electric bill. Whoops I almost forgot, we will still have the transmission infrastructure bill. Yes, they are one step ahead of us.


-1

Nuclear power plants wear out after a given amount of time; everyone knew this when they built it. No one has ever planned for it’s shutdown because they were too busy sucking up the taxes the plant generated. Recall this is PGE, the company that has trouble maintaining of it’s power lines; I fear how well they are maintaining a well-aged nuclear power plant. Tossing a billion dollars each from the state and the feds could have been better spent subsidizing alternative energy sources. Think about it; highly doubtful DCPP will be licensed again, so we’re spending about $400,000,000/year to keep it running for another five years. Classic case of trying to solve years of bad planning by tossing our tax money at the problem.


-39

Not sure your analysis is correct. I’m firmly against nuclear, and it should be phased out as quickly as possible. But, I think the state has looked at it quite carefully, and we simply need that consistent 10% electricity from the grid that Diablo provides as we transition to all electric transportation fleets. Another ten years should do it.


I believe the money is well spent if we expeditiously move away from fossil fuels. The thing I worry about is the nation will once again lurch back to the right with a Trump or DeSantis in the WH. Such an administration would kowtow to their oil contributors and throw off California’s zero-emission timeline.


-34

Next hurtle – remove the requirement to replacement of once through cooling. I can’t think of a more ridiculous idea than to think that DCPP will heat up the Pacific Ocean. Needed on a lake or river perhaps, but an Ocean – really?


23

Not sure your point, but there is ample evidence to suggest that some native species in the ocean near Diablo have died off and been replaced by non-native species who are adapted to the warmer water. This hasn’t been good for the eco-system, but, it is what it is.


Bottom line, we need the power. But to argue it’s all hunky dory is ridiculous.


-15

In the cove, not the ocean itself. Also, so what? A tiny fraction of the coast has tropical marine life!


BTW, if it’s non-native, how did it swim all the way across the cold cold Pacific, to just happen upon the outlet cove?


8

Pray that there are no earthquakes stronger than 6.8.

Pray that someone figures out what to do with the millions of pounds of toxic waste being stored in vulnerable temporary facilities at Diablo Canyon.


-31

regardless of Diablo’s status, praying for no strong earthquakes is always a good idea (and BTW, if it did occur, the state of the plant will be well down the list of problems the area will be having).


second, there are things we could do with the waste, such as reprocessing, so solutions are there, politics is the problem.


5

The problem of what to do with the toxic waste is not a political problem, it’s an economic problem. The overall cost of dealing with the toxic waste will cost more than the value of the electricity produced. At a minimum, we are going to have to store monitor the waste for 10,000 years, and that could easily stretch to 300,000 years. Do the research before counting on pie in the sky ideas about reclaiming the waste.

Also, a catastrophic failure at Diablo Canyon, resulting in a radiation leak caused by an earthquake that exceeds its very moderate 6.8 threshold with almost certainly rank near the top of the list of problems that county residents will suffer from after the quake.


0

Great news, glad the smart adults made this decision.


69

Let the lawsuits begin…..


-45

Let the lawsuits be thrown out. In case you didn’t notice, the entire legal system is set up to throw red meat to the lawyers. (on both sides)


25