With only a few weeks left before state lawmakers adjourn for the year, Gov. Gavin Newsom is making a last-minute push to extend the life of California’s last nuclear plant.
Newsom’s proposal, released last week, would allow the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant on the Central Coast to keep operating until 2035, 10 years after its planned closure in 2025. The governor has argued that running the plant’s two nuclear reactors for another decade would be a stopgap measure to help California keep the lights on when power demand surges on hot summer evenings and fight climate change by preserving an around-the-clock source of carbon-free electricity until more renewable energy comes online.
But giving new life to nuclear power is such a big change, with so many trade-offs, that Newsom needs to make the case that his plan will support the state’s transition to renewable energy, rather than slowing it down, will actually prevent blackouts and will avert more environmental risks than it prolongs.
