The U.S. Department of Energy on Aug. 14 awarded Pacific Gas and Electric $271 million to help support Diablo Canyon Power Plant’s extended operations.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission earlier this year renewed the operating licenses of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in California for an additional 20 years.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2 are pressurized-water reactors in Avila Beach, California. Unit 1’s operating license will now expire on Nov. 2, 2044, and Unit 2’s will expire on Aug. 26, 2045.
“Keeping Diablo Canyon online is critical to meeting California’s growing demand for affordable, reliable, and secure electricity,” said Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish. “The Civil Nuclear Credit Program is helping preserve this vital source of baseload power and ensuring that we don’t prematurely take reliable generation off the grid. The Department of Energy is committed to unleashing American nuclear energy and keeping facilities like Diablo Canyon operating safely and reliably for the American people.”
Diablo Canyon Power Plant provides nearly ten percent of California’s power generation, and its two units were originally scheduled to cease commercial operations by 2025.
The power plant was able to stay open thanks to the Civil Nuclear Credit Program, which was created to provide strategic investments to preserve the nation’s existing nuclear fleet and protect high-paying American jobs, DOE said.
Under the program, Pacific Gas and Electric is eligible to receive up to $1.1 billion to support activities necessary to keep Diablo Canyon operating.
Funds can be used to help cover the cost of reactor component replacements, equipment upgrades, and fuel procurement, or address unforeseen costs associated with extending the plant’s operations and maintaining continued service.
In April, the Northern California Power Agency said the NRC’s approval to extend operations at Diablo Canyon Power Plant “is a major milestone—but it’s not the finish line. Now, the California State Legislature must act to ensure Diablo Canyon can operate beyond 2030,” it said.
