Federal regulators on Tuesday rejected a request from PG&E that would have eased the utility company’s efforts to keep operating California’s last nuclear power plant longer.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sent the utility company a letter on Tuesday spelling out the steps it must take to keep operating Diablo Canyon Power Plant past 2025, when it’s scheduled to close.
PG&E originally applied for license renewal for Diablo Canyon in 2009 — only to withdraw and terminate that application in 2018 after announcing plans to close the San Luis Obispo County nuclear power plant and replace it with other forms of carbon-free energy.
In an October letter to the NRC, the utility company asked the agency to simply resume its review of its 2009 license renewal application.
The NRC denied that request in its letter on Tuesday, instead instructing PG&E to submit a new license renewal application for the power plant.
“This decision does not prohibit you from resubmitting your license renewal application under oath and affirmation, referencing information previously submitted, and providing any updated or new information to support the staff’s review,” the NRC said in its letter.
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, indicated in a statement Wednesday that he was pleased with the NRC’s decision.
“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision this week reflects the need for thorough review before approving additional years of operation beyond its current license,” the Central Coast congressman said. “This ruling affirms that corners cannot be cut when it comes to nuclear safety.”
PG&E has told The Tribune it plans to submit a new application by the end of 2023 — just one year before one of Diablo Canyon’s twin reactors are slated to shut down.
PG&E seeks exemption from law to keep Diablo Canyon open
According to PG&E, the 2,200-megawatt Diablo Canyon Power Plant provides about 9% of the state’s total electricity supply.
Diablo Canyon’s unit 1 reactor license is set to expire on Nov. 2, 2024, while the license for the second unit would expire on Aug. 26, 2025. Without valid licenses, the reactors must shut down.
That means the NRC would have less than a year to review the new license renewal application before unit 1 must shut down. The application review process typically takes up to five years.
To keep the reactors operating past their expiration dates, PG&E has requested the NRC grant it an exemption from a federal law that states it must file license renewal applications more than five years before the license expires.
The law allows for a nuclear power plant to continue operating past its originally scheduled closure date if the NRC is still reviewing its license renewal application — as long as that application was filed more than five years before the expiration date.
Because PG&E is set to file its license renewal application for Diablo Canyon less than five years before its originally scheduled closure date, the law requires that the reactors must shut down as planned.
PG&E wants the NRC to grant it an exemption to that law so it can keep Diablo Canyon open and delivering electricity to the grid.
The utility company requested that exemption in the same October letter in which it asked the NRC to resume review of its 2009 application.
“The (NRC) staff is evaluating that exemption request and expects to provide a response in March 2023,” Tuesday’s letter read.
Nuclear power plant must shut down as planned, groups argue
Whether Diablo Canyon Power Plant should stay open has long been a subject of debate among lawmakers and environmental groups.
A push by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California State Legislature led to the passage of Senate Bill 846 in September, allocating up to $1.4 billion to PG&E so it can keep the plant running through 2030.
That law was passed after the state failed to procure enough clean energy to meet rising demand.
Nonprofit groups San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, Environmental Working Group and Friends of the Earth filed a petition with the NRC on Jan. 10, arguing that it would be unlawful for federal regulators to allow PG&E to keep Diablo Canyon operating while the agency reviews its license renewal application.
The National Environmental Protection Act “prohibits the (commission) from extending the Diablo Canyon license terms by any means, unless it first addresses the significant environmental impacts of operation during the extended term, including earthquake risks, impacts to marine life of Diablo Canyon’s outdated once-through cooling system,” the groups said in the petition, as well as “impacts of delaying or deferring license renewal-related maintenance and inspection measures in anticipation of shutdown.”
The NRC had not responded to the groups’ petition as of Wednesday.
In his statement Wednesday, Carbajal said that “public engagement is key as we embark on this next phase” of Diablo Canyon’s operation..
“When it comes to extending the lifespan of Diablo Canyon Power Plant, nothing is more important to me than ensuring that our community’s safety is not compromised in pursuit of this extension,” Carbajal continued, adding that he’s “urged our federal experts to keep the Central Coast directly in the loop when it comes to the next steps for renewing Diablo Canyon’s license.”
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