Nuke plant extension draws opposition

LOS ANGELES >> Dozens of environmental and antinuclear organizations expressed opposition Tuesday to any attempt to extend the life of California's last operating nuclear power plant, challenging suggestions that its electricity is needed to meet potential future shortages.

Last month, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom raised the possibility that the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant — which sits on a coastal bluff halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles — could keep running beyond a scheduled closing by 2025. His office said the governor is in favor of “keeping all options on the table to ensure we have a reliable (electricity) grid.”

In a letter to Newsom, groups that included San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, the Oregon Conservancy Foundation, the Snake River Alliance and the Ohio Nuclear Free Network said the plant is old, unsafe and too close to earthquake faults that pose a threat to the twin reactors.

PG&E announced the closing plan in 2016 as part of a deal with environmentalists and union workers, citing a “recognition that California's new energy policies will significantly reduce the need for Diablo Canyon's electricity output.” But Newsom's suggestion highlights that the thinking has shifted, as the state looks for reliable power sources amid a changing global climate as California gradually shifts to solar, wind and other renewables.

Recently, state officials warned that extended drought, extreme heat and wildfires — paired with supply chain and regulatory issues hampering the solar industry — will create challenges for energy reliability this summer and into coming years.

The environmental groups argued that continuing to operate the plant beyond its scheduled closing would generate hundreds of tons of highly radioactive waste.