Nuclear regulators approve Diablo Canyon license renewal
– The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will approve Pacific Gas and Electric’s 20-year license renewal application for extended operations of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant during a public event on April 2 from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The approval follows a public review process in which the agency determined the facility is safe and environmentally sound to operate for an additional 20 years. Extending operations beyond 2030 would require action from the California State Legislature.
The event will be livestreamed.
Speakers will include Jeremy Groom, acting director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation; Sumeet Singh, Pacific Gas and Electric chief executive of energy delivery; Paula Gerfen, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer at Pacific Gas and Electric; Salud Carbajal; and Dawn Ortiz-Legg, a San Luis Obispo County supervisor.
The ceremony will include the official signing of the plant’s license renewal application. Representatives from the nuclear regulatory agency, Pacific Gas and Electric, and elected officials will deliver remarks before the signing.
The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is California’s largest source of clean energy, producing power for 4 million residents daily, which represents about 10% of the state’s population, and nearly 20% of its clean energy. The facility had been scheduled to retire in 2025, but the state directed it in 2022 to remain operational through 2030 to support grid reliability and climate goals.
