The Diablo Canyon facility, which provides 9% of the state’s energy, was due to shutter in 2025, but the state’s energy crunch could save it
It’s a sort of a bellwether – a test – of the political future for nuclear power in CaliforniaFacing requirements for expensive upgrades and retrofits, estimated at roughly $4.5bn, and an increasingly competitive energy market centered around renewables, the plant’s owner and operator PG&E agreed to a settlement in 2016 with environmental groups and labor organizations not to seek renewal on the licenses for its two reactors, which expire in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
The climate crisis has also put the grid under immense strain. A historic drought has left the American west with waning water levels, threatening hydropower production, and spiking temperatures have caused surges in energy use, resulting in seasonal threats of rolling blackouts. Wildfires have also threatened disruptions, taking out transmission and distribution lines.
Energy officials warned it will be especially difficult to navigate seasons when climate disasters hit all at once, potentially leavingThe grid has grown more efficient and reliable due to renewables coming online and upgrades in systems, but the state’s energy agencies projected a significant shortfall that matches the energy lost when Diablo Canyon ceases to contribute. Meanwhile, energy costs will continue to rise.
“This is a challenge,” said Lucas Davis, an expert on energy economics and professor at the University of California Berkeley. “When a major generation source closes there is less supply so that pushes up wholesale prices,” he said. The timing is bad. With cities mandating the phase-out of natural gas and more consumers switching to electric cars, demand for electricity is also expected to increase, driving up the price further.
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