By Vince Manni

Nuclear energy is increasingly being recognized as essential to meeting grid reliability and decarbonization needs, even in regions that have historically opposed nuclear power. California is home to only one nuclear power plant, which has faced severe criticism since its construction in 1985. Despite efforts from anti-nuclear activists, the plant at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, a two-reactor plant capable of producing at least 2,240 megawatts located in San Luis Obispo County, has remained operational.

In 2016, a joint proposal between Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and several environmental organizations and labor unions set to retire the plant at the end of its then-current operating license. However, in 2022 Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 846, which considers extending the operational life of Diablo Canyon’s reactors. The legislation required the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to consider the extension of the Diablo Canyon plant, up to five years. The ruling overturned the prior CPUC retirement order and required PG&E to preserve the option of extending Diablo Canyon’s operations by up to five years for both units.

PG&E holds 12,000 acres surrounding the Diablo Canyon plant. The canyon sits along the coast and is home to some of the most ecologically dense stretches in California. Even though the plant releases no emissions, it does use 2.5 billion gallons of ocean water daily for “once-through cooling”. 

Last Thursday, PG&E reached an agreement with the California Coastal Commission to keep the Diablo Canyon plant open for the next five years. They agreed to cede thousands of those acres for conservation. PG&E will lose upwards of half of the land they currently hold in the Diablo Canyon region. 4,500 acres on the north edge of the property called the “North Ranch” will be transferred into a conservation easement, transferring ownership of the land to a public agency, nonprofit land conservation land organization or tribe. Additionally, PG&E will give up a 2,200 acre parcel on the southern boundary called “Wild Cherry Canyon” for purchase by a government agency, nonprofit, or tribe and also fund a $10 million project to manage 25 miles of new public trails across the property. 

Compromise is how progress is made. A good compromise is one where both sides are cede to meet in the middle. PG&E and the California Coastal Commission conceded assets and ideals they hold closely, and thus may not be overly thrilled with the outcome. In this case it feels as though everyone is better off; PG&E can still produce low-carbon, emission-free, nuclear energy, while land and wildlife is protected. This enables Californians to get reliable, clean energy while conservationists preserve their land.

The need to compromise may remove the luster from wins for the nuclear industry, but California acknowledging the importance of nuclear power to the grid is the first step to greater industry development. Last week was a big win in California for the future of nuclear energy. If California, one of the harshest critics of nuclear energy over the years, now sees its value to maintaining a reliable grid, there lies hope for a greater nuclear dependent future. 

Vince Manni is an advisor at the Nuclear Advocacy Resource Organization