PG&E Corp. formally asked federal regulators Monday to extend the life of Diablo Canyon, the last operating nuclear plant in California, as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort to improve reliability of the electricity grid.
The state’s largest utility announced it applied to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew Diablo Canyon’s license and postpone the planned 2025 shutdown of the San Luis Obispo County plant, which supplies about 9% of the state’s power.
Newsom, reversing his earlier opposition to prolonging Diablo Canyon’s lifespan, signed legislation in September that would keep the plant open until 2030. The legislation also allows the state to loan PG&E as much as $1.4 billion to make upgrades needed to postpone the plant’s closure.
