PG&E Will Close Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in 2025

Pacific Gas and Electric announced today their plans to close the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in 2025. The power plant, located near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, started operation in 1985 with much protest. Several earthquake fault lines run under and near the plant.

PG&E claims that it plans to replace the nuclear energy output with other types of renewable energy. "California's energy landscape is changing dramatically," PG&E wrote in a press release from CEO Tony Earley. "As a result, we will not seek to relicense the facility beyond 2025."

It is not clear how a dramatically changing power landscape leads to a decision to keep the nuclear power plant going for the next nine years.

PG&E claims rates will not rise as a result of the closing. However, we know from the dismantlement of the nuclear power plant at San Onofre, that the cost and process of decommissioning a power plant is high and is passed onto the power company's customers. Currently the nuclear waste at San Onofre is being stored on site since no place is willing to accept the dangerous material. The radioactive waste has been placed in canisters that are subject to cracking due to the chloride-induced stress corrosion of their location close the ocean. Kris Singh, CEO of Holtec International, the company who designed the canisters, admits there is no way to check for cracks, but claims they are working on developing inspection methods.