California Keeps Diablo Canyon Nuclear Reactor Running 5 More Years

California Keeps Diablo Canyon Nuclear Reactor Running 5 More Years

There have been a couple of fascinating developments that touch upon two subjects I cover for Legal Insurrection: California and nuclear power.

A few years ago, California was asking electric vehicle drivers not to charge their cars.  The grid was weak, as energy consumption was high because of a summer heat wave (or as climate cultists like to refer to it, a “heat dome”).

So, as presumptive 2028 candidate Gavin Newsom prepares for his campaign’s official launch, there is some pre-planning to avoid the embarrassment of statewide brownouts or blackouts during his run.  Such an event would give Newsom’s adversaries both within and outside the Democratic Party a big target that would resonate with many Americans, who no longer believe the “climate crisis” narrative.

At the time of the original report, there were plans to close the state’s last remaining nuclear power plant: Diablo Canyon. Miraculously, the plant has had its life extended by a whopping 5 years.

California environmental regulators on Thursday struck a landmark deal with Pacific Gas & Electric to extend the life of the state’s last remaining nuclear power plant in exchange for thousands of acres of new land conservation in San Luis Obispo County.

PG&E’s agreement with the California Coastal Commission is a key hurdle for the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant to remain online until at least 2030. The plant was slated to close this year, largely due to concerns over seismic safety, but state officials pushed to delay it — saying the plant remains essential for the reliable operation of California’s electrical grid. Diablo Canyon provides nearly 9% of the electricity generated in the state, making it the state’s single largest source.

The Coastal Commission voted 9 to 3 to approve the plan, settling the fate of some 12,000 acres that surround the power plant as a means of compensation for environmental harm caused by its continued operation.

Interestingly, Newsom cited summer heat waves as one of the key reasons for the extension.

The governor and lawmakers say the reason they wanted to keep Diablo Canyon running is because of its impact on the power grid. Gov. Newsom said that during extreme heat waves, Diablo Canyon is important to keeping the grid stable while avoiding blackouts.

A study done by MIT and Stanford in 2021 showed that keeping Diablo Canyon running could cut carbon emissions by 10% and save over $2 billion in system costs. According to the investigation, the study started a campaign by people who are pro-nuclear to get the plant to remain open.

“Diablo Canyon is the backbone of the California clean, reliable electrical system,” said Richard St. Onge, a consultant with the American Nuclear Society. “If you look at the numbers out there, California gets 10% of its electricity from Diablo Canyon.”

Watts Up With That contributor Eric Worrall humorously notes the obvious conclusion about the likely consequence of California pursuing its green energy schemes.

I’m shocked California has wavered in their commitment to renewables like this.

Keeping this plant open will be seen as some as an admission that California’s enormous renewable investments are not delivering stable electricity supplies.

If hundreds of billions of dollars investment in renewables and batteries is not enough to prevent blackouts during periods of energy stress, surely the solution is more hundreds of billions of dollars of green energy investment.

As a bonus, San Luis Obispo County wants to study another way the facility’s power-generating life might be extended…by adding new nuclear reactors.

On Tuesday, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approved a $25,000 contract with Solestiss, a Maine-based nuclear energy consulting firm, to assess the economic impact of keeping Diablo Canyon open for another 20 years.

A $10,000 portion of the study will investigate the feasibility of developing a new advanced large-scale nuclear reactor and small modular reactors.

Small modular reactors — or SMRs — are reduced, theoretically easier-to-assemble reactors that can be more conveniently located near power-hungry areas than traditional plants, but this emerging technology does not yet exist in the United States beyond the design stage.

Once again, it is the Iron Law of Electricity for the win.

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