An environmental group is suing Pacific Gas & Electric to stop it from extending the federal operating licenses for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. In a complaint filed in San Francisco Superior Court, Friends of the Earth asked the court for injunctive relief to prohibit PG&E from violating a 2016 agreement to close the nuclear power plant by 2025.
In 2016, Pacific Gas & Electric, Friends of the Earth, labor unions, and additional environmental groups concluded a joint proposal to close Diablo Canyon. PG&E agreed to close the plant’s two reactors when their operating licenses expired, in 2024 and 2025, and convert the plant to produce renewable energy. PG&E at the time was seeking to renew its federal operating license for 20 years.
The 2,250 MW Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant is the largest power source in California and provides 8.6% of the state’s electricity, including approximately 17% of its zero-emissions electricity. Concerns over anticipated power shortages led to growing support for keeping the plant open. In June 2022, California Senator Diane Feinstein expressed support for extending the life of Diablo Canyon, writing that closure of the plant could lead to “years of electricity shortfalls” and arguing that retirement should be delayed until the state can “replace its production with clean sources.”
In August 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom presented draft legislation that included a 10-year extension of the nuclear power plant to 2035. Legislators, however, rejected that proposal in favor of the shorter timeline. In September 2022, Newsom signed S.B. 846, compromise legislation that extended Diablo Canyon’s two units by five years to 2029 and 2030. It also authorized a forgivable $1.4 billion loan for plant owner Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and streamlined environmental reviews. The bill passed overwhelmingly in both the state Senate and Assembly despite opposition from environmental groups and some Democrats. (California Keeps Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Open.)