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California’s last nuclear power plant cleared a regulatory hurdle Thursday when the California Coastal Commission voted to approve keeping the plant open for at least five years.
It was one of the latest hurdles the controversial Diablo Canyon Power Plant had to overcome to continue operating amid renewed opposition. The decision was conditioned on a plan that required Pacific Gas & Electric, which owns the plant, to retain about 4,000 acres of land on its property. This would prevent it from being developed for commercial or residential use.
The plant, located along San Luis Obispo’s shoreline, is now awaiting federal approval for a 20-year relicensing permit.
“I don’t think, unfortunately, anything is going to happen to Diablo Canyon anytime soon” because of the increasing energy demands of artificial intelligence, Commissioner Jamie Lee said before voting to approve the permit. Nine of the 12 voting members approved the plan.
The debate reignited decades-old concerns about the dangers of nuclear power and its place in the nation’s renewable energy portfolio. Diablo Canyon is the largest energy source in the state, providing nearly 10% of all California electricity.
Defeated in earlier attempts to shut down the plant, Diablo Canyon critics used months of Coastal Commission hearings as one of their last opportunities to voice their disdain for the facility. Some Democratic lawmakers supported the plant but urged PG&E to find more ways to protect the environment.
Senator John LairdSan Luis Obispo County Democrat and former secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, said Thursday he approved the new plan but urged the commission to require the utility to preserve even more than the total 12,000 surrounding acres.
“If what comes out of this is the path to preserve 8,000 acres of land, that’s a remarkable victory,” Laird said.
Democratic Assembly Member Dawn Addiswhose district includes the headquarters, also urged the commission in a letter to approve a permit “once it contains strong mitigation measures that reflect the values and needs of surrounding tribal and indigenous communities that depend on our coastal regions for environmental health, biodiversity and economic vitality.”
A long history of controversy
Founded in 1985, the plant’s striking concrete domes sit along the Pacific coast 200 miles north of Los Angeles. The facility draws 2 million gallons of ocean water each day to cool its systems
And it has remained shrouded in controversy since its construction 40 years ago. Environmentalists point to the damage it does to marine life, killing an estimated 2 billion larval fish a year, according to the Coastal Commission.
Commissioners on Thursday were not deciding whether to allow the plant to remain open, but were weighing how best to reduce the environmental impact of its operation. A 2022 state law forced the plant to remain open five more years beyond its planned 2025 closing date, which could have resulted in a significant political blow to the Coastal Commission if it had rejected the permit.
Gov. Gavin Newsom rescinded a 2016 agreement between environmental groups and labor unions to close the plant after the state faced a series of climate disasters which caused power outages. Popular sentiment toward nuclear power also continues to strengthen as states across the country consider revitalizing idle and aging nuclear plants to meet ever-increasing energy demand.
The 2022 act authorized a $1.4 billion loan to be repaid with federal borrowings or earnings.
Groups such as the Environmental Defense Center and Mothers for Peace strongly opposed the permit, citing concerns about radioactive waste that could linger for centuries and the cost to taxpayers.
“We argue that any expansion of Diablo is unnecessary” and that its continued operations could slow the development of solar and wind energy, Jeremy Frankel, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Center, told the committee Thursday.
California Public Utilities Commission last year approved $723 million in payer funds to Diablo Canyon’s operating expenses this year. It was the first time a rate hike was rolled out to ratepayers of other utilities such as Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric and was authorized by lawmakers because the plant provides power to the entire state.
How the plant will be financed has also drawn attention in the years since Newsom has worked to keep it open. Last year, the Legislature nearly canceled a $400 million loan to help finance it.
$588 million unlikely to return due to insufficient federal funding and projected earnings, CalMatters reported.
Proponents of the plant pointed to its reliability, carbon-free pollution and the thousands of jobs it has created.
Business advocacy groups have highlighted their support for the plant as an economic booster.
“This is an economic lifeline that helps our communities be strong and competitive,” Dora Westerlund, president of the Fresno Hispanic Foundation, said at a November meeting.
This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.