Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, phasing out

Los Angeles Times/Samantha Masunaga, 6/21/16."PG&E to close Diablo Canyon, California's last nuclear power plant."

Diablo Canyon nuclear plant closure by 2025

"California’s last nuclear power plant will be phased out by 2025, under a joint proposal announced Tuesday morning by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and labor and environmental groups. Under the proposal, the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County would be retired by PG&E after its current Nuclear Regulatory Commission operating licenses expire in November 2024 and August 2025. The power produced by Diablo Canyon’s two nuclear reactors would be replaced with investment in a greenhouse-gas-free portfolio of energy efficiency, renewables and energy storage, PG&E said in a statement.The proposal is contingent on a number of regulatory actions, including approvals from the California Public Utilities Commission.

The Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, built against a seaside cliff near Avila Beach, provides electricity for Central and Northern California. It produces about 2,160 megawatts — enough to power some 1.7 million homes.Tuesday’s announcement comes after a long debate over the fate of the plant, which sits near several earthquake fault lines. The Hosgri Fault, located three miles from Diablo Canyon, was discovered in 1971, three years after construction of the plant began.

....  PG&E Chief Executive Tony Earley also acknowledged the the changing landscape in California, noting that energy efficiency, renewables and storage are “central to the state’s energy policy.”....  “As we make this transition, Diablo Canyon’s full output will no longer be required,” he said in a statement Tuesday. Daniel Hirsch (Director Environmental and Nuclear Policy, UC Santa Cruz) tempered his approval with caution, saying that as long as the plant remains in operation, safety risks remain."  Read more.

Reference. PG&E, Diablo Canyon Power Plant.  Location:  on the coast, Avila Beach, CA between Morrow Bay, Pismo Beach, near San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo County), see Google Map

Related article.  San Luis Obispo Tribune/David Sneed, 6/21/16, "PG&E agrees to close Diablo Canyon in 2025." .... "Diablo Canyon employs nearly 1,500 workers and has a $920 million annual impact on the local economy. It is San Luis Obispo County’s largest private industry employer, with an average annual salary of $136,561 in 2011, according to a 2013 Cal Poly study. The plan is contingent upon approval by the California Energy Commission. It was reached with the agreement of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Works Local 1245, the Coalition of California Utility Employees, Friends of the Earth, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Environment California and the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility.  "PG&E officials said its decision to close Diablo Canyon was influenced by several factors. Among them: a state policy requiring utilities to increase renewables in their portfolios to 50 percent by 2030; the subsequent growth of solar and wind production; and the loss of customers because of community choice aggregation, which allows local jurisdictions to group power purchases to lower prices."  Also see, Digital Journal (opinion), Karen Graham, 9/8/14,"Op-Ed: a nuclear disaster waiting to happen: Diablo Canyon power plant."

Note photographs.  Diablo Canyon Power Plant by Doc Searls/Flickr from NRDC/Rhea Suh, 6/21/16, "California's Last Nuclear Power Plant."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

ead more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article84993992.html#storylink=