California state body approves rate increase for Diablo Canyon
December 23, 2024
California state body approves rate increase for Diablo Canyon life extension
By ExchangeMonitor
The California Public Utilities Commission last week approved $723 million in rate increases to let Pacific Gas & Electric Co. keep the state’s last nuclear power plant open through 2025, media reported.
The increases would cover operations of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant from Sept. 1, 2023 through Dec. 21, 2025. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted 4 to 1 to approve the increase in a public meeting held Dec. 19, according to the Los Angeles Times and other outlets.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) still needs approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to keep Diablo Canyon open. The NRC is considering a 20-year license extension and staff have said they could finish their review of the utility’s license extension application by August 2025 or so.
The California commission so far has approved PG&E to keep the plant open for only five of the 20 years the utility could get tacked on to its federal.
PG&E’s operating licenses for Diablo Canyon Unit 1 expired on Nov. 2, but NRC has allowed the reactor to stay online while federal staff vet the utility’s license renewal application. Unit 2’s license will lapse on Aug. 26 2025.
Antinuclear activists have opposed Diablo Canyon’s license extension both in federal court and as part of the NRC’s ongoing review.
- Log in to post comments
