The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday it has granted Pacific Gas & Electric Co. an exemption from filing annual license renewal updates for the utility’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California.
PG&E in June announced plans to close Diablo Canyon units 1 and 2 by 2024-25, when their NRC licenses expire. The company said California’s shifting energy policies significantly reduce the need for electricity output at the plant, while laying out PG&E’s plan to move toward other “greenhouse-gas-free” energy sources. Diablo Canyon is the last operating nuclear plant in California.
The exemption will remain in effect as long as the plant’s license renewal application is suspended, which PG&E requested after announcing the closure, according to a Federal Register notice.