California

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 Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the deal with Diablo Canyon?

Diablo Canyon, located in San Luis Obispo, California, is the state’s last operating nuclear power plant. In 2016 PG&E, the utility operating the plant, announced it would decommission both of the reactors when their operating licenses expire in 2024 and 2025 rather than renew them for an additional 20 years. 

Is there anything wrong with the two reactors? 

No, there is nothing wrong with the reactors from a technical perspective. PG&E was in the process of relicensing the plant, had completed all required plant upgrades, and was fully expected to receive its license extension from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

So why is the plant shutting down?

The short answer is politics.

In addition to approval from the NRC, PG&E also needed permits from several California agencies to continue operating.

Prominent California politicians opposed to the plant operating threatened to prevent Diablo Canyon from getting those state permits, or even operating a further decade to 2025, unless PG&E’s agreed to abandon its NRC relicensing effort.

Combined with historically cheap natural gas and the lack of public support for nuclear in general, PG&E decided to close the plant instead of pursuing relicensing. In return, agencies granted PG&E state land and water permits to operate Diablo Canyon through the end of its current license. 

How will California replace Diablo Canyon?

Part of the negotiations around Diablo Canyon’s closure included replacing Diablo’s generation capacity with renewables. However, the state agencies involved now admit that this replacement plan is not sufficient.

Over the last 10 years, nuclear plants in Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York were closed prematurely and replaced by fossil fuels, increasing air pollution and carbon emissions. When California shut down the San Onofre nuclear plant in 2013, ​California’s share of natural gas generation immediately rose from 45 percent to 61 percent.

If Diablo Canyon closes, natural gas will continue to be used for much longer, increasing California’s carbon emissions and worsening climate change. 

What are the environmental implications of losing Diablo Canyon?

If Diablo Canyon is allowed to prematurely shut down, California will be losing 2.2 GW of zero-carbon generating capacity. When San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) was closed in 2013, fossil fuel generation in California increased. If Diablo Canyon closes, natural gas will continue to be used for much longer, increasing California’s carbon emissions and worsening climate change. 

Additionally, without Diablo Canyon, the lands and waters currently protected by PG&E’s management around the plant facilities are not guaranteed to retain their protected status. 

What are the economic implications of losing Diablo Canyon?

Nuclear plants are economic engines that provide permanent, high-wage, high-skill jobs for generations. And for every 100 nuclear power plant jobs, 66 more jobs are created in local communities. Replacing in-state nuclear generation with out-of-state natural gas production will result in a net job loss for California.

As San Luis Obispo county’s largest private industrial employer, Diablo Canyon employs nearly 1,500 full-time employees and contributes about $30 million in taxes annually.

Can the plant keep operating? 

Yes! PG&E could resubmit the license renewal application to the NRC, as well as start performing the required inspections and implementing programs for license extension. At the state-level, PG&E would need to submit a motion to the Public Utilities Commission for permission to continue operating Diablo past 2025.