In what could be a reversal of fortune for Diablo Canyon Power Plant, the governor of California is weighing whether to bid on a federal bailout for the Golden State’s last operating nuclear power facility, he said last week.
State Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told the LA Times editorial board Friday that a bid on the Department of Energy’s recently-unveiled $6 billion civil nuclear credits program is “on the table as an option” for Diablo Canyon. Sacramento has yet to make a decision on whether it will actually take such an action, Newsom said. A spokesperson for the governor told the Times that he would still like to see the plant close eventually.
Nuclear professional organization the American Nuclear Society (ANS) applauded Newsom’s statement in a press release Friday.
“Events over the past months and years have made it increasingly evident that Diablo Canyon has an essential role to play in California’s clean and secure energy future, ANS president Steven Nesbit and CEO Craig Piercy said. “The American Nuclear Society and our members stand ready to help ensure Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant’s carbon-free energy will be available for the benefit of the state and country.”
If Newsom decided to pursue a credit for Diablo Canyon, he’d join Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), who told DOE in April that she would also seek a bailout for the state’s Palisades plant, slated for shutdown this month.
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which currently operates Diablo Canyon, has said that the San Luis Obispo County, Calif., plant’s two reactors are scheduled to go offline in 2024 and 2025, respectively. A spokesperson for PG&E told Exchange Monitor that the utility is “required to follow the energy policies of the state” and that California had “not changed its position” about the future of nuclear power.
Meanwhile, PG&E is moving ahead with decommissioning prep at Diablo Canyon. The company in April announced that Orano USA would manage spent fuel transfer and storage at the site after final shutdown — a decision that drew a harsh rebuke from current contractor Holtec International.
