Officials may seek Diablo license delay

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• PG&E’s request to charge for Diablo Canyon license renewal costs rejected

  PG&E’s request to charge for Diablo Canyon license renewal costs rejected

  The state Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday formally dismissed a motion by PG&E to assess ratepayers $85 million to pay for costs associated with renewing the operating licenses at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

• Top 10 Stories of 2011: No. 5 — Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant reacts to Japan’s Fukushima disaster

  Top 10 Stories of 2011: No. 5 — Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant reacts to Japan’s Fukushima disaster

  The Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan left many residents of San Luis Obispo County wondering whether a similar accident would be possible at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, located along California’s earthquake-prone Central Coast. It also greatly intensified calls for PG&E to suspend plans to renew the plant’s two operating licenses until a thorough seismic investigation of the earthquake faults around the plant is completed.

• Japan data wanted in Diablo file

  Japan data wanted in Diablo file

  The anti-nuclear group San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace is asking federal regulators to require that earthquake studies and other information that has come to light after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan be considered before renewing Diablo Canyon Power Plant’s operating licenses.

  On April 27, the group filed two formal petitions called contentions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Both deal with safety concerns from the March 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster.

  PG&E has applied to renew Diablo Canyon’s two licenses to 2044 and 2045. That application is on hold while the utility completes detailed studies of the earthquake faults around the plant.

• Viewpoint: PG&E reaffirms commitment to safety at Diablo Canyon

  Viewpoint: PG&E reaffirms commitment to safety at Diablo Canyon

  After the Fukushima accident, the Diablo Canyon Power Plant staff conducted extensive reviews of procedures, and both process and physical upgrades were made.

  With the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan and the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, questions understandably continue to emerge about the safety of all nuclear facilities.

  While officials at PG&E want to assure the public that its Diablo Canyon Power Plant is safe and secure, they also insist that much was learned from what happened at Fukushima on March 11, 2011, and afterward. There always has been — and will continue to be — an ongoing effort to maximize and improve safety at the plant in San Luis Obispo County.

• PG&E altering plans for Diablo Canyon offshore fault surveying

  PG&E altering plans for Diablo Canyon offshore fault surveying

  At the recommendation of a panel of state geologists, PG&E has modified its plans to conduct high-energy seismic surveys off Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant later this year.

  The new plans shift the emphasis of the surveys south to San Luis Obispo Bay where the regionally dominant Hosgri Fault intersects the newly discovered Shoreline Fault. The duration of the surveys could also be cut back, which may reduce effects of the work on marine life.

  The plan is under review by the state panel of scientists called the Independent Peer Review Panel, which includes county Supervisor Bruce Gibson, as well as the State Lands Commission, which is the permitting authority for the project.