Move ‘an important measure’ towards supporting reliability of state’s electricity grid
California energy regulators have voted to allow the Diablo Canyon nuclear station in California to operate for an additional five years as the state seeks to reduce blackout risks amid its transition to a carbon-free grid.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) agreed to extend the operational date for the state’s last functioning commercial nuclear power facility to 2030 instead of closing it in 2025 as previously agreed.
The approval is contingent on station owner and operator PG&E getting an operating licence extension from the federal US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The decision “is an important measure towards supporting the reliability of the California electricity grid as we move forward in our energy transition,” said Karen Douglas, the commissioner assigned to the case.
“California’s path forward in the energy transition hasn’t always been easy and won’t always be easy.”
The current operating licences for Units 1 and 2 at the two-unit station were set to expire in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The CPUC decision calls for keeping Unit 1 operational until 31 October 2029, and Unit 2 until 31 October 2030.
California governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed legislation last year that reversed an agreement between the state, PG&E and environmental groups to retire the facility.
The legislation included a provision allowing PG&E to access a $1.4bn (€1.2bn) forgivable loan that would be collected from rates collected by all customers who are served by the CPUC.
Newsom, who once was a leading voice to close the facility, said last year that Diablo Canyon’s power is needed beyond 2025 to ward off possible blackouts as California transitions to solar and other renewable energy sources.
Newsom’s administration has cited “unprecedented stress” on the state’s energy system as a reason for keeping open Diablo Canyon, which alone accounts for 9% of the state’s generation and 17% of its electricity from carbon-free sources.
Diablo Canyon, to the north of Los Angeles near Avila Beach, has two Westinghouse pressurised water reactors.
Unit 1, a 1,138-MW PWR, began commercial operation in May 1985, while the 1,118-MW Unit 2 started providing power in March 1986.
Residents and activists, including Mothers for Peace and Friends of the Earth, have challenged the extension, citing concerns about seismic activities and the storage of radioactive spent fuel.
