Biden administration has $6 billion plan to help power plants. Could it save Diablo Canyon?
The Biden administration recently launched a $6 billion funding program to help nuclear power plants in distress. What does that mean for Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant?
On Tuesday, the administration opened a certification and bidding process for a civil nuclear credit program.
Noting that nuclear energy facilities produce about half of the nation’s carbon-free electricity, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement that the Biden administration is using “every tool available to get this country powered by clean energy by 2035.”
“That includes prioritizing our existing nuclear fleet to allow for continued emissions-free electricity generation and economic stability for the communities leading this important work,” Granholm said.
Asked whether Diablo Canyon Power Plant would qualify for the program or seek funding to continue operations, a PG&E spokeswoman said the company is still planning to close the nuclear power plant near Avila Beach in 2024 and 2025.
“PG&E is committed to California’s clean energy future, and as a regulated utility, we are required to follow the energy policies of the state,” Suzanne Hosn said. “At this time, the state has not changed its position regarding the future of nuclear energy in California. The plan to retire Diablo Canyon Power Plant was introduced in 2016 and approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, the state legislature, and Gov. (Jerry) Brown in 2018.”
Why is Diablo Canyon Power Plant closing?
As the last remaining nuclear power plant in operation in California, Diablo Canyon Power Plant provides about 9% of the state’s total electricity.
Reasons for the closure of Diablo Canyon include state regulations that prioritize renewable energy sources such as wind and solar over nuclear power, along with the economic impacts on future nuclear energy sales.
Ushering the plant through a new permitting process would cost several hundred million dollars, according to estimates.
Those in favor of closing Diablo Canyon have also cited the environmental impacts of storing radioactive waste, the discharge of heated ocean water back into the nearby sea and the potential for an earthquake that could happen near the site that could leak radiation into the air. The plant was built to withstand tremors, but faults exist nearby.
However, some lawmakers have advocated keeping the nuclear power plant in operation, citing its ability to provide head-of-household jobs and carbon-free energy. Supporters say Diablo Canyon could be repurposed to provide desalinated water and hydrogen.
California Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham and San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg are among those in favor of keeping Diablo Canyon open.
The Biden administration has also pushed the idea of preserving Diablo Canyon as a source of low-carbon energy.
“California has been very bullish on zero-carbon emission energy,” Granholm told Reuters in December. Keeping the plant open “may be something that they decide to take a look at, given that I think there is a change underfoot about the opinion that people may have about nuclear.”
Meanwhile, a study released in November by Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that keeping Diablo Canyon open would help the state meet “the increasing challenges of climate change by providing clean, safe and reliable electricity, water and hydrogen fuel for Californians.”
Despite that, Hosn said plans to shutter the power plant remain unchanged.
“Our focus therefore remains on safely and reliably operating the plant until the end of its NRC licenses, which expire in 2024 and 2025,” Hosn told The Tribune in November.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 1:12 PM.
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