Will PG&E bankruptcy hurt safety at Diablo Canyon? Rep. Carbajal demands answers
Now that PG&E has officially declared bankruptcy, some are questioning whether the utility company’s decision could hinder the safe operations at and decommissioning of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
In a statement Tuesday morning, Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) said he has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the organization that monitors nuclear power plants’ safety, for more information on how the bankruptcy could impact the local power plant.
“My first priority is ensuring the safety of our Central Coast community,” Carbajal said in the emailed statement. “In light of PG&E’s announcement today, I’m requesting an update from the NRC on how this development will affect their approach to overseeing the decommissioning of the facility.”
PG&E is declaring bankruptcy as it faces millions in liabilities stemming from last year’s devastating wildfires in Northern California. The company has previously said that it does not expect the bankruptcy to impact day-to-day operations at the local plant, nor will it impact the ongoing decommissioning plans.
On Tuesday, Carbajal asked for assurance from the NRC that the utility company’s “financial circumstances would not impact their compliance with decommissioning funding assurance requirements, the agency’s safety and security measures, or the decommissioning trust fund for the facility.”
He also asked for more information on the steps the NRC is taking to ensure the safety of the plant’s operations.
In an email to The Tribune, sent soon after PG&E first made its bankruptcy announcement on Jan. 14, NRC senior public affairs officer Victor Dricks said on-site inspectors are closely monitoring PG&E’s safety, and “no significant impacts have been observed to date.”
Dricks noted that other utility companies around the country have gone through bankruptcy proceedings — including PG&E itself in 2001 — with no safety problems.
He did not expect any with Diablo Canyon.
“While it is not common and will be closely monitored and inspected by the NRC, it is not unprecedented,” he wrote. “The NRC has established processes and programs in place to inspect licensees as they move through the bankruptcy process and ensure that adequate public safety is maintained.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2019 at 11:42 AM.
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