Diablo Canyon Power Plant Gets Clean Bill of Health as Council Advocates for Extension

Diablo Canyon Power Plant, which supplies 9% of California’s electricity or enough to power about 3.5 million homes, recently got a clean bill of health from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. That’s good news as the Bay Area Council continues to lead a statewide coalition focused on passing legislation to extend the life of the power plant to 2045.

As California pursues its aggressive goals of reducing dependence on fossil fuels, Diablo Canyon provides an important source of carbon-free energy that helps maintain grid reliability to ensure lights stay on and avoids upward pressure on already expensive electricity in the state. Diablo Canyon accounts for 17% of California’s carbon-free electricity. The NRC earlier this year approved a 20-year extension of Diablo Canyon’s operating license to 2045 and an analysis from MIT released in March estimated failure to extend plant operations beyond 2030 would increase energy costs by up to $1.3 billion per year. State law currently doesn’t allow Diablo Canyon to operate past 2030.

There’s simply no path for California to meet its 2045 climate goals while keeping electricity reliable and affordable without Diablo Canyon, which is why the Council launched the Diablo Canyon 2045 coalition to ask state leaders to pass legislation allowing Diablo Canyon to operate through 2045 consistent with its existing federal permits. To engage with the Council’s Energy Committee, please contact Senior Vice President of Public Policy Adrian Covert.