#diablocanyon — Public Fediverse posts

Diablo Canyon safe to run for 60 years, report said | San Luis Obispo Tribune https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/environment/article317375850.html #PCG #DiabloCanyon #CAEnergy #Nuclear

CA governor candidates on Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant | San Luis Obispo Tribune https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/politics-government/election/article317244605.html #DiabloCanyon #CAPol

https://www.europesays.com/people/191359/ Newsom kicks the can on Diablo Canyon. Ratepayers get the bill #california #DiabloCanyon #GavinNewsom #legislature

California planned a nuclear exit. Now it’s reconsidering

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Diablo Canyon doesn’t look like a nuclear power plant that’s getting ready to retire. Beneath…
#Environment #California #demand #diablocanyon #electricity #extension #Group #largepart #life #moreyear #pg&e #plant #power #Renewable #stateofficial #time
https://www.europesays.com/3197142/

https://www.europesays.com/3197142/ California planned a nuclear exit. Now it’s reconsidering #California #demand #DiabloCanyon #electricity #Environment #extension #Group #LargePart #life #MoreYear #pg&e #plant #power #Renewable #StateOfficial #time

Gov. #Newsom won’t extend Diablo Canyon’s operating life | San Luis Obispo Tribune https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/environment/article316829212.html #CAEnergy #CAPol #DiabloCanyon #Nuclear #Energy

https://www.europesays.com/people/185293/ Governor Gavin Newsom says he will not extend operation of Diablo Canyon #AvilaBeach #CaliforniaNews #DiabloCanyon #GavinNewsom #LocalNews #NuclearPower #PowerPlant #StateNews

Is Diablo Canyon nuclear plant safe to run for 60 years? | San Luis Obispo Tribune https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/environment/article316331726.html #PGC #DiabloCanyon #CAEnergy

#CAISO started exporting power around 9 am, and at since 11 am has been exporting a #DiabloCanyon's worth of energy to neighboring balancing authorities. At the same time rn we're charging 6GWs of batteries. CAISO currently using 85% #renewables. https://www.caiso.com/todays-outlook/supply#section-current #Energy #CAEnergy

#KQED:
"
The View Inside California’s Last Nuclear Power Plant
"
".. danger posed by spent nuclear waste at a site near several seismic faultlines."

".. cooling system kills almost two billion larval fish annually, plus other organisms that aren’t measured."

https://www.kqed.org/science/2000835/the-view-inside-californias-last-nuclear-power-plant

28.4.2026

#AKW #Atomkraftwerk #Atommüll #California #DiabloCanyon #HosgriFault #Kalifornien #Kernenergie #NPP #NuclearPower #NuclearWaste #PGandE #SeismicFaultline #ShorelineFault #SpentFuel #USA

LA Times: PG&E is overcharging Californians to keep Diablo Canyon open, report alleges

"...A new report alleges Pacific Gas & Electric inflated costs when it requested a loan for Diablo Canyon, potentially creating a $685.6-million cost to taxpayers if lawmakers don’t intervene.
If ratepayer fees for Diablo Canyon were eliminated from 2027-30, experts say, California utility customers could save an estimated $1.84 billion in controversial subsidies...."

(PAYWALL)
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-04-07/pge-overcharging-diablo-canyon-report

#nukes #diablocanyon #powergrid #grid

Nuclear Reactor's Lifeblood Extended Amidst Regulatory Currents

California's Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant will operate for 5 more years. Find out how this affects electricity prices and the environment.

#DiabloCanyon, #NuclearPower, #CaliforniaEnergy, #NRC, #EnergyExtension

https://newsletter.tf/diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant-operation-extended/

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant will now operate until 2030, adding 5 more years of power generation. This is a change from its previous plan to close.

#DiabloCanyon, #NuclearPower, #CaliforniaEnergy, #NRC, #EnergyExtension
https://newsletter.tf/diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant-operation-extended/

Diablo Canyon, California’s last nuclear power plant, wins final approval to keep operating

Federal regulators on Thursday renewed the license for California’s last nuclear power plant, ensuring that Diablo Canyon will…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Environment #DiabloCanyon #fukushima #nuclearpower #NuclearRegulatoryCommission #PG&E #Science
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/562647/

NRC Extends Operating License for California’s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant https://www.byteseu.com/1915430/ #California #DiabloCanyon #license #LicenseRenewal #NRC #Nuclear #NuclearRegulatoryCommission #PacificGasAndElectric #pg&e #Westinghouse

https://www.europesays.com/2891860/ Diablo Canyon, California’s last nuclear power plant, wins final approval to keep operating #DiabloCanyon #Fukushima #nuclear #NuclearPower #NuclearRegulatoryCommission #pg&e

Inside what led to the Diablo Canyon Power Plant staying open https://www.byteseu.com/1631746/ #CaliforniaEnergy #DiabloCanyon #GavinNewsom #Nuclear #NuclearPower #PowerPlant

#DiabloCanyon #NuclearPower #California

From Los Angeles Times: California Coastal Commission approves land deal to extend last nuclear plant through 2030

https://www.aol.com/articles/california-coastal-commission-approves-land-023541857.html

https://www.europesays.com/2628349/ Diablo Canyon Coastal Commission Vote #acre #agreement #California #CaliforniaCoastalCommission #ConservationDeal #DiabloCanyon #Environment #LandDeal #life #pg&e #plant #ReliableOperation #SouthRanch #state #thursday #year

https://www.europesays.com/2628349/ Diablo Canyon Coastal Commission Vote #acre #agreement #California #CaliforniaCoastalCommission #ConservationDeal #DiabloCanyon #Environment #LandDeal #life #pg&e #plant #ReliableOperation #SouthRanch #state #thursday #year

Atomkraft? Nein Danke!

#Quallen als AKW-Albtraum und Nutznießer menschengemachter Katastrophen.

Sie legen #AKW-#Reaktoren lahm und sind ein Erfolgsmodell der #Evolution. Der #Klimawandel lässt ihre Anzahl steigen, was sie teils in tödliche Bedrängnis bringt.

Mehr über die Aktivitäten der (un-)freiwilligen Anti-Atom Aktivisten.

#Torness #Oskarshamn #DiabloCanyon #Kalifornien #CapitalismIsADeathCult

Chinese scientists create rare meteorite diamonds much harder than ones found on Earth

A team of Chinese scientists may have cracked the secret behind the strange Canyon Diablo diamonds. Hexagonal in…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Science #carbonatoms #ChineseAcademyofSciences #chinesescientists #cubicstructure #DiabloCanyon #hexagonalcrystalstructure #hexagonaldiamond #meteorites
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/74387/

From #earthquakes to #jellyfish: See 8 emergency alerts at #DiabloCanyon #NuclearPowerPlant

By Stephanie Zappelli
Updated August 14, 2024

Read more at: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/environment/article290996800.html#storylink=cpy

#DiabloCanyon #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #RethinkNotRestart #OceansAreLife

#Jellyfish Keep Attacking #NuclearPowerPlants

By Gabriel Geiger
November 2, 2021

"Jellyfish are continuing to clog the cooling intake pipes of a nuclear power plant in Scotland, which has previously prompted a temporary shutdowns of the plant.

"The #TornessNuclearPowerPlant has reported concerns regarding jellyfish as far back as 2011, when it was forced to shut down for nearly a week—at an estimated cost of $1.5 million a day—because of the free-swimming marine animals.

"In a short comment to Motherboard, #EDFEnergy, which runs the Torness plant, said that 'jellyfish blooms are an occasional issue for our power stations,' but also said that media reports claiming the plant had recently been taken offline because of jellyfish are 'inaccurate.' '[There were] no emergency procedures this or last week related to jellyfish or otherwise,' a spokesperson said. [Um, did they previously work for #TEPCOLies?]

" 'Like many other seaside power plants, the Torness plant uses seawater to prevent overheating. While there are measures in place to prevent aquatic life from entering the intake pipes, according to the #BulletinOfTheAtomicScientists, they are no match for the sheer number of jellyfish that come during so-called 'jellyfish blooms.'

" 'Usually, screens prevent aquatic life and similar debris from being drawn into the power plants’ cooling system,' the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists wrote in a 2015 blog post. 'But when sufficiently large volumes of jellyfish or other aquatic life are pulled in, they block the screens, reducing the volume of water coming in and forcing the reactor to shut down.'

"While the case in Scotland has once again spotlighted concerns regarding the jellyfish and potential power plant shutdowns, these concerns are far from new. In 2008, a swarm of jellyfish shut down a nuclear power plant [#DiabloCanyon -- which had another incident in 2024] in #California, and three years later the same occurred at a plant in Japan [#Shimane]. In 2017, jellyfish clogged a power plant in Israel [#Hadera]."

Source:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/jellyfish-keep-attacking-nuclear-power-plants/

#GlobalWarming #WarmingOceans
#ChangingOceans #OceansAreLife #OceanTemperatures #ClimateCrisis #Overfishing #NoDeepSeaMining #NoNewNukes #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #Oskarshamn #Torness #RethinkNotRestart

CA #wildfires: a warning to #NRC on #ClimateChange

January 16, 2025

"The NRC’s actions to address the risks from natural hazards do not fully consider potential climate change effects on severe nuclear accident risks. 'For example, NRC primarily uses historical data in its licensing and oversight processes rather than climate projections data,' the GAO report said.

"Beyond Nuclear has uncovered similar findings during our challenges to the NRC’s extreme relicensing process for extending reactor operating licenses, now out to the extreme of 60 to 80 years and talk of 100 years. We found that the agency’s staff believes and stubbornly insists that an #environmental review for climate change impacts (#SeaLevelRise, increasingly severe #hurricanes, extreme #flooding, etc.) on reactor safety and reliability is 'out of scope' for the license extensions hearing process.

"The GAO report points out to the NRC that wildfires, specifically, can dangerously impact US nuclear power stations operations and public safety with potential consequences that extend far beyond the initiating natural disaster. These consequences can include loss of life, large scale and indefinite population dislocation and uninsurable economic damage from the radiological
consequences:

" 'Wildfire. According to the NCA (National Climate Assessment), increased heat and drought contribute to increases in wildfire frequency, and climate change has contributed to unprecedented wildfire events in the Southwest. The NCA projects increased heatwaves, drought risk, and more frequent and larger wildfires. Wildfires pose several risks to nuclear power plants, including increasing the potential for onsite fires that could damage plant infrastructure, damaging transmission lines that deliver electricity to plants, and causing a loss of power that could require plants to shut down. Wildfires and the smoke they produce could also hinder or prevent nuclear power plant personnel and supplies from getting to a plant.'

"Loss of offsite electrical power (#LOOP) to nuclear power stations is a leading contributor to increasing the risk of a severe nuclear power accident. The availability of alternating current (AC) power is essential for safe operation and accident recovery at commercial nuclear power plants. Offsite fires destroying electrical power transmission lines to commercial reactors therefore increase the probability and severity of nuclear accidents.

"For US nuclear power plants, 100% of the electrical power supply to all reactor safety systems is initially provided through the offsite power grid. If the offsite electrical grid is disturbed or destroyed, the reactors are designed to automatically shut down or 'SCRAM'. Onsite emergency backup power generators are then expected to automatically or manually start up to provide power to designated high priority reactor safety systems needed to safely shut the reactors down and provide continuous reactor cooling, pressure monitoring, but to a diminished number of the reactors’ credited safety systems. Reliable offsite power is therefore a key factor to minimizing the probability of severe nuclear accidents.

"The GAO identifies a number of US nuclear power plant sites that are vulnerable to the possible outbreak of wildfires where they are located. 'According to our analysis of U.S. Forest Service and NRC data, about 20 percent of nuclear power plants (16 of 75) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire,' the GAO report states. 'More specifically, more than
one-third of nuclear power plants in the South (nine of 25) and West (three of eight) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire.' The GAO goes on to identify 'Of the 16 plants with high or very high potential for wildfire, 12 are operating and four are shutdown.'

"To analyze exposure to the wildfire hazard potential, the GAO used 2023 data from the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Hazard Potential Map. 'High/very high' refers to plants in areas with high or very high wildfire hazard potential. Those #NuclearPower stations described by GAO as 'high / very high' exposure to wildfires and their locations are excerpted from GAO Appendix III: Nuclear Power Plant Exposure to Selected Natural Hazards.

Table 1: Potential High Exposure to “Wildfires” at Operating Nuclear Power Plants

–AZ / #SAFER, one of two mobile nuclear emergency equipment supply units in the nation, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–CA / #DiabloCanyon Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–FL / #TurkeyPoint Units 3 & 4 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–GA / #EdwinI. Hatch Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–GA / $Vogtle Units Units 1, 2, 3 & 4, nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #BrunswickNPP Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #McGuire Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #ShearonHarris Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH /VERY HIGH”
–NB / #Cooper nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–SC / #Catawba Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–SC / #HBRobinson Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–WA / #ColumbiaNuclearPower station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

Table 2: Potential High Exposure to “Wildfires” at Shutdown Nuclear Power Plants

–CA / #SanOnofre Units 1 & 2, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

–FL / #CrystalRiver, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

–NJ / #OysterCreek, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

–NY / #IndianPoint Units 1, 2 & 3, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

"Wildfires can transport radioactive contamination from nuclear facilities

"A historical review of wildfires that occur around nuclear facilities (research, military and commercial power) identifies that these events are also a very effective transport mechanism of radioactivity previously generated at these sites and subsequently released into the environment by accident, spills and leaks, and careless dumping. The radioactivity is resuspended by wildfires that occur years, even decades later. The fires carry the radioactivity on smoke particles downwind, thus expanding the zone of contamination further and further with each succeeding fire. The dispersed radionuclides can have very long half-lives meaning they remain biologically hazardous in the environment for decades, centuries and longer."

cc: @Cyclist @stfn @collectifission

Read more:
https://beyondnuclear.org/ca-wildfires-are-a-warning-to-nrc-on-climate-change/

#NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #RethinkNotRestart #NuclearPlants #NuclearPowerPlants #ClimateCrisis #Radiation

California's last nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon, is ironically the first in the US to use AI. It's a 'copilot' to sift through documents before its 2030 closure, saving staff time but raising questions.

#NuclearAI #DiabloCanyon #EnergyTech

Pacific Gas & Electric, which runs Diablo Canyon, announced a deal with artificial intelligence startup Atomic Canyon— heralding it in a press release as “the first on-site generative #AI deployment at a U.S. #nuclear power plant.” #DiabloCanyon https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/04/first-nuclear-plant-ai-at-diablo-canyon/

Pacific Gas & Electric, which runs Diablo Canyon, announced a deal with artificial intelligence startup Atomic Canyon— heralding it in a press release as “the first on-site generative #AI deployment at a U.S. #nuclear power plant.” #DiabloCanyon https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/04/first-nuclear-plant-ai-at-diablo-canyon/

#Wildfire risks high at #US #NuclearPlants

Posted on January 19, 2025 by beyondnuclearinternational

The GAO identifies a number of US nuclear power plant sites that are vulnerable to the possible outbreak of #wildfires where they are located.

"'According to our analysis of U.S. Forest Service and NRC data, about 20 percent of nuclear power plants (16 of 75) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire,' the GAO report states. 'More specifically, more than one-third of nuclear power plants in the South (nine of 25) and West (three of eight) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire.' The GAO goes on to identify 'Of the 16 plants with high or very high potential for wildfire, 12 are operating and four are shut down.'

"To analyze exposure to the wildfire hazard potential, the GAO used 2023 data from the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Hazard Potential Map. 'High / very high refers to plants in areas with high or very high wildfire hazard potential. Those nuclear power stations described by GAO as 'high / very high' exposure to wildfires and their locations are excerpted from GAO Appendix III: Nuclear Power Plant Exposure to Selected Natural Hazards.

Table 1: Potential High Exposure to 'Wildfires' at Operating Nuclear Power Plants

–AZ / #SAFER, one of two mobile nuclear emergency equipment supply units in the nation, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–CA / #DiabloCanyon Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–FL / #TurkeyPoint Units 3 & 4 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–GA / #EdwinIHatch Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–GA / #Vogtle Units Units 1, 2, 3 & 4, nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #BrunswickNC Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #McGuireNC Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #ShearonHarris Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH /VERY HIGH”
–NB / #CooperNuclearPowerStation, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–SC / #Catawba Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–SC / #HBRobinson Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–WA / #ColumbiaNuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

Table 2: Potential High Exposure to “Wildfires” at Shutdown Nuclear Power Plants

–CA / #SanOnofre Units 1 & 2, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–FL / #CrystalRiver, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NJ / #OysterCreek, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NY / #IndianPoint Units 1, 2 & 3, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

"Wildfires can transport #radioactive contamination from nuclear facilities

"A historical review of wildfires that occur around nuclear facilities (research, military and commercial power) identifies that these events are also a very effective transport mechanism of radioactivity previously generated at these sites and subsequently released into the environment by accident, spills and leaks, and careless dumping. The radioactivity is #resuspended by wildfires that occur years, even decades later.

"The fires carry the radioactivity on smoke particles #downwind, thus expanding the zone of #contamination further and further with each succeeding fire. The dispersed #radionuclides can have very long half-lives meaning they remain biologically hazardous in the environment for decades, centuries and longer."

Read more:
https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2025/01/19/wildfire-risks-high-at-nuclear-plants/
#Downwinders #NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukesForAI #NuclearSafety #ClimateCrisis

Critics say #DiabloCanyon #NuclearPlant produces too much power at too high a price

By Thomas Fudge, December 11, 2024

"#SolarPower has become a plentiful #CleanEnergy source that the state [of #California] may have underestimated when it chose to extend Diablo Canyon.

"Some people who run California’s statewide power grid say nuclear is clean power. It generates no greenhouse emissions. But it does create #NuclearWaste and it has to run 24-7, making it very inflexible.

"'With the lack of flexibility, and the growth of flexible resources that we have coming on to our system, I just don’t know if there’s going to be value in retaining those resources,' said Brian Murray, director of real time operation with the California Independent System Operator (ISO).

"McCann said nuclear power from Diablo Canyon is also getting expensive. PG&E is applying to raise its rates in order to keep the plant open.

"That cost will affect San Diego customers of SDG&E also, and it’s something lawmakers didn’t anticipate when they voted to extend the life of the nuclear plant."

Read more:
https://www.kpbs.org/news/science-technology/2024/12/11/diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant-produces-too-much-power-too-expensive

#NoNukes #DiabloCanyonNuclearPlant #SeismicRisk #CascadianSubduction #RethinkNotRestart #NuclearIsNotCarbonFree

PG&E #DiabloCanyon #NuclearPlant will still be operating in 2025 despite planned closure, and these #Decommission cost over runs likely to raise #ElectricPower costs for #California #consumer power bills even as the #PowerCompany looks to put in place shut down workers

https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/diablo-canyon-power-plant-to-host-outage-hiring-information-fair-thursday

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article290239429.html

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/10/16/pge-bill-electric-utility-economy-consumer-diablo-canyon-nuclear-power/

#DiabloCanyon #NuclearPowerPlant brings #profits for PG&E, deadly risk for residents [and the #environment]

Tina Landis
August 19, 2024

"Despite opposition from residents and #environmental organizations, California legislators passed #SenateBill846 in 2022 to extend the life of the dangerous, aging Diablo Canyon #nuclear facility.

"Located on the Central Coast surrounded by several #fault lines, one has to question why a nuclear facility was placed in an #earthquake zone to begin with, much less allowing it to continue to operate well past its retirement date. The world witnessed what can happen to a coastal nuclear facility in an earthquake zone when the 2011 #Fukushima disaster triggered a meltdown that displaced nearly half a million residents, with vast amounts of #RadioactiveWater still being released into the ocean today.

"As long as Diablo Canyon remains open, Californians live with the constant risk of suffering the same type of disaster.

"From its inception, Diablo Canyon had little public support. Protests occurred regularly during its construction, and thousands were arrested for #CivilDisobedience actions in 1981.

"In the 1970s and 1980s, California’s three largest utilities spent billions of dollars building dangerous and costly nuclear plants like Diablo Canyon, which resulted in skyrocketing rates for customers. Big industry fought back against these increased energy costs, which resulted in deregulation bills consisting of multi-billion dollar #bailouts to the state’s utility companies to cover their costly investments in nuclear.

"Today, the last remaining nuclear plant operating in the state is still draining billions in funds that could be used for safe, #renewable energy development. To keep Diablo Canyon running 5 years past its retirement date is expected to cost $8 billion to $12 billion. A federal aid package of $1.1 billion will contribute to some of those costs – meaning federal #taxpayers’ money – while the remaining billions will be passed on to #California #ratepayers.

"Despite being run by PG&E and only generating power for its territory, customers of #SouthernCaliforniaEdison and #SanDiegoGasAndElectric will help cover the remaining costs of the Diablo extension. Edison bills will increase by around $1.25 a month and SDG&E by 87 cents a month, while PG&E customers are expected to chip in $2.07 a month – and that’s just for the first year. Critics warn that costs are likely to increase in coming years to keep the plant running, and that’s on top of already skyrocketing PG&E rates that have doubled over the last decade. And if PG&E collects more funds than are needed for Diablo’s operations, they get to keep it!

"In 2022, when legislators pushed this through #SB846, the excuse of energy shortages was used due to pandemic-related supply chain issues and massive #wildfires. But today, there is plenty of energy being produced with increased #solar and #battery storage capacity that has kept the lights on even during this summer’s unprecedented heat waves driving up demand. The California Public Utility Commission’s own reporting shows that an additional 18,500 megawatts of new resources were added to the grid between 2020 and 2024, which is enough to power around 14 million homes. Another 11,000 megawatts will be added by 2028.

"Nuclear has the third highest lifecycle emissions of all energy sources after scrubbed #coal fired plants and natural gas – meaning it is far from being zero-emission. It also creates the unresolved issue of the #RadioactiveWaste which remains dangerous for tens of thousands to millions of years.

"Keeping the Diablo facility running will only hold back further development of safe and truly low-carbon, low cost renewable sources like solar and #wind energy.

"So why isn’t Diablo Canyon being decommissioned? The short answer is that #capitalism must ensure continued profits for the #InvestorClass.

"SB 846 authorized Diablo’s extension through 2030, and gave PG&E a $1.4 billion loan for the for-profit utility to facilitate the plant’s extension. #GovernorNewsom facilitated another transfer of taxpayer dollars to PG&E through an additional $400 million loan from the state’s general fund, included in the recent budget deal. Critics warn that these 'loans' will never be repaid, meaning residents will be fully subsidizing the Diablo extension – from federal and state tax dollars to our utility fees.

"But there is a way out. SB 846 allows the #CPUC to retire the plant earlier than 2030 if sufficient levels of new renewable zero-carbon energy resources exist, are interconnected, and meet demand, which is the case.

"CPUC has a long track record of serving PG&E’s interests, so intervention by the commission is unlikely. One example of many that demonstrates their close relationship: CPUC is not requiring PG&E to show how much of our utility bill actually goes to the Diablo extension, but instead lumps the cost in with 'public purpose programs,' making it impossible to determine.

"While communities are demanding an early shutdown of Diablo, PG&E is currently applying for a 20-year license renewal from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission [#NRC] for the facility, which is expected to be approved. This would mean customers will foot the bill to keep this dangerous nuclear facility running through 2045, far beyond the original expiration dates of 2024 and 2025.

"CPUC has proven their unwavering support time and again for PG&E’s monopoly control over the state’s energy system at the expense of residents’ safety and affordable rates. The Diablo Canyon nuclear plant is just another mechanism to squeeze ratepayers and line the pockets of shareholders who live far away from the dangers posed by this aging facility. Only a public takeover of this #corrupt utility can win clean, safe and affordable energy for all."

Source:
https://www.liberationnews.org/diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant-brings-profits-for-pge-deadly-risk-for-residents/

#PGAndE #RethinkNotRestart #NuclearCorruption #NuclearBailouts #RenewablesNow #NoNukes
#DiabloCanyonNuclearPlant
#NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies #California #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife

#Biden’s $1.5 Billion Deal To Resurrect A #NuclearPlant Is Facing Fresh Drama

Story by Alexander C. Kaufman
August 9, 2024

"The United States’ effort to reverse the permanent shutdown of a nuclear station for the first time hit a potential snag this week when an ex-employee at the facility went public with safety concerns about reopening the 53-year-old power plant.

"Now the company that owns the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station on Michigan’s southwest coast is hitting back at what it called a series of “assumptions” and “inaccurate statements” from Alan Blind, a former engineering director.

"Blind’s seven-year tenure overlapped with “a period when the plant performed poorly and required significant improvements” and ended nearly a decade before its closure two years ago, according to Florida-based #Holtec International, which bought the station from utility giant #Entergy following its shutdown in May 2022.

"In an unusually pointed 1,000-word rebuttal, Holtec said “significant investments, upgrades, and modifications were made by the prior owner to dramatically and measurably improve plant reliability” in the nine years after Blind’s departure. The company said the process is “on schedule” and announced at a public meeting this month that the plant is on track to reopen in October 2025.

"But Blind cast doubt on Holtec’s proposed budget and timeline for restoring #Palisades given that no U.S. reactor has ever come back online after ceasing operations ahead of a planned demolition.

[...]

"The money is going out. In January, the Biden administration put up $1.1 billion to keep California’s last nuclear power station [#DiabloCanyon] from closing. Two months later, the Department of Energy offered Holtec a loan worth $1.5 billion to make Palisades the first U.S. nuclear plant to ever come back online after shutting down in preparation for decommissioning.

"At least two other utilities are now considering restarting shuttered nuclear reactors, including the unit at the #ThreeMileIsland facility in Pennsylvania that did not melt down in 1979.

"On Monday, Reuters cited Blind saying the Palisades plant received waivers from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that exempted the facility from modern safety standards that prevent insulation on pipes from breaking down and clogging cooling systems, guard against #earthquakes and curb risks from #fires."

Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/biden-s-15-billion-deal-to-resurrect-a-nuclear-plant-is-facing-fresh-drama/ar-AA1oxWha

#RethinkNotRestart #RenewablesNow #NoNukes #PalisadesNuclearPlant #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies #Michigan #WaterIsLife

“It feels like we’re being taken advantage of here". #DiabloCanyon, CA's #nuclear plant on an earthquake fault remains open although its contributions to the grid and the real cost to taxpayers for keeping it open past its scheduled closing date are still muddled. https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article290239429.html

What's a billion ratepayer dollars between shareholders??

"What comes next for Diablo Canyon after a budget debacle and over $1B loaned to PG&E?"

#NuclearPower #DiabloCanyon

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article290239429.html

#DataCenters could set back #climate progress

#AI, #cryptocurrency ‘mining’ and our #digital lifestyles imperil the #energy transition — and the planet.

Jonathan Thompson
June 27, 2024

"In 2018, California utility regulators approved a plan to shutter #DiabloCanyon’s two nuclear reactors in 2024 and 2025. Doing so would deprive the state’s grid of 2,323 megawatts of generating capacity, but Pacific Gas & Electric, the plant’s operator, and a coalition of labor and environmental groups proposed replacing the lost power with renewables. The plant kicked out enough juice to light up about 1.7 million homes, but replacing that power seemed feasible, especially since PG&E predicted that demand would steadily decline over time, as more folks put solar on their roofs and slashed their energy consumption.

"#ProNnuclear eco-modernists, who see atomic fission as a primary way to avoid the climate catastrophe, mourned the imminent loss of so much carbon-free power. But clean energy advocates hailed it as a sign of the impending energy transition — a move away from gluttonous power consumption into a system where we use much less electricity and generate more of it from solar panels.

"Now, however, the whole scenario has been turned on its head: Diablo Canyon’s reactors are poised to continue fissioning atoms for the foreseeable future. Contrary to #PG&E’s optimistic projections, society, in general, is growing even hungrier for power.

"Diablo Canyon remains a symbol of the energy transition, no doubt, but not in the way people once hoped. Now its continued existence represents a transition gone awry.

"If you look at the supply side alone, you could be fooled into thinking that the energy transition is still going strong. #Solar-generating capacity in California has doubled in the last six years. On multiple occasions this spring, #renewable energy sources supplied more than 100% of the total electricity demand on California’s grid in the afternoon, when solar output peaks. Even more notable is the growth of grid-scale battery storage in the state, jumping from 770 megawatts in 2019 to more than 10,000 now. On one day in April, battery storage discharge became the largest energy source on California’s grid.

"On the demand side, however, things have gone haywire. Earlier this month, PG&E CEO Patti Poppe predicted that the utility’s load — or the amount of power consumed — would double by 2040. Poppe is not exaggerating; #Texas grid operators expect demand to double there in just six years. Some of this added load was foreseeable. Human-caused #ClimateChange is increasing temperatures, transforming energy-intensive air conditioning from a luxury to a life-or-death necessity. And all those #Teslas and other electric vehicles [#EVs] you see cruising on the highway? They need to be charged, even as more folks are switching out their dirty natural gas appliances for electric ones.

"But back in 2018, few anticipated the incredibly rapid buildup of all the electricity-sucking data centers that we would need to process our credit card payments, all the computing we do, our constant #GoogleSearches and the endless movies we stream. Those demands, meanwhile, pale in comparison to the huge power consumption required to mine a single bitcoin or process a generative AI operation. And together they are threatening to overwhelm power supplies altogether, straining the grid and throwing a digital wrench into the energy transition."

Read more:
https://www.hcn.org/articles/do-data-centers-mean-doomsville-for-renewable-energy/

#ArtificialIntelligence #EnergyConsumption #Bitcoin #NuclearPlants

California putting $400 million more into #DiabloCanyon - the nuclear reactor on an earthquake fault. https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article289421164.html