DIABLO CANYON: MFP Briefing Paper emailed to CA Senators, Assemblymembers, and Staff
Very succinctly, here’s why it’s still important to shut down Diablo Canyon on time, in 2024 and 2025 (or sooner):
- Economics: TURN (The Utility Reform Network) estimates a cost of at least $10 billion over market price to run Diablo through 2030.
- Power Needs: California has an excess of at LEAST 10,000 MW right now if you factor in battery storage, solar, and demand response, and more is coming online daily.
- Grid Reliability: Diablo Canyon PROHIBITS renewable energy from being added to the grid, especially during sunny weather, because it clogs the grid.
- Seismic Issues: Recent seismic information tells us that there are two VERTICAL THRUST FAULTS directly under the plant. A vertical thrust fault causes significantly more damage than a lateral fault from an earthquake of the same magnitude.
- Embrittlement: The Unit 1 reactor pressure vessel is EMBRITTLED, meaning that if it had to be shut down in an emergency, and cold water injected into the vessel, the vessel could shatter like glass, causing the worst-case catastrophe possible at a nuclear plant.
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