Basic Facts:
- Location: Avila Beach, California
- Owner: PG&E Corporation
- Operator: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
- Construction Cost: $14B (2018$)
- Plant Output: 2,250 MW
- Property Size: 1,000 acres
- Scheduled Shut Down: Unit 1 (2024) and Unit 2 (2025)
- Employees: 1,300
- Current DTF Balance: $2.9B (2018$)
- DTF Balance Prior to Decommissioning: $4.5B (2018$)
- Decommissioning Cost Estimate: $1.0B (2018$)
- Spent Nuclear Fuel On Site: 1,388 tons
Background
Diablo Canyon 1 and 2 are both pressurized water reactors coming online in 1985 and 1986 respectively. In 2016, PG&E announced that the operating licenses would not be renewed when they expire in 2024 (for Unit 1) and in 2025 (for Unit 2). Additional information on Diablo Canyon’s decommissioning planning efforts may be found here.
Socioeconomics
Diablo Canyon is located within San Luis Obispo County, California. As of 2016:
- Population: 280,000
- Per Capita Annual Income: $51,400
- Unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted): 3.6%
Annual tax payments (approximately $15M) from Diablo Canyon account for approximately 6% of the county’s annual budget.
Contact Information
Economic Development Administration Representative:
- Wilfred Marshall, Los Angeles Regional Office, t: (310) 348-5386, e: wmarshall@eda.gov
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Victor Dricks, Sr. Public Affairs Officer, t: (817) 200-1128, e: victor.dricks@nrc.gov
- Diablo Canyon 1, Diablo Canyon 2
Unless specific costing information has been provided, decommissioning costs were derived from 2017 Decommissioning Funding Status Report.
Information herein obtained from public sources. Corrections are welcome and may be directed to info@decommissioningcollaborative.org.
Additional Information
State Lands Commission Approves Extension of Diablo Canyon’s Lease
State Lands Commission Approves Extension of Diablo Canyon’s LeaseEnergy Nuclear Power Plant May Stay Put Through October 2030 The slow-motion crawl to keep the nuclear power plant at Diablo Canyon running vaulted another hurdle on Monday when the State Lands Commission approved extending the plant’s mean high-tide line lease off San Luis Obispo County.
What should happen to 12,000 acres of Diablo Canyon lands? State reveals plan
What should happen to 12,000 acres of Diablo Canyon lands? State reveals plan After months of work on a plan for the future of 12,000 acres surrounding California’s last nuclear power plant, the state is outlining a vision for the land that mostly aligns with community members’ wishes.
High-ranking federal officials explain safety, next steps in Diablo Canyon relicensing
High-ranking federal officials explain safety, next steps in Diablo Canyon relicensing The Nuclear Regulatory Commission hosted a public meeting on Wednesday night to hear concerns and explain the re-licensing process for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. Community members got to hear directly from high-ranking federal officials as PG&E moves forward with plans to keep Diablo […]
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ACCEPTS REP. CARBAJAL INVITATION TO HOST PUBLIC FORUM ON FUTURE OF DIABLO CANYON POWER PLANT
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Accepts Rep. Carbajal Invitation to Host Public Forum on Future of Diablo Canyon Power Plant The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will host a public forum next month on the license renewal process for Diablo Canyon Power Plant, agreeing to an invitation from Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) to answer questions directly from Central […]
NRC to hear arguments against Diablo Canyon ISFSI license renewal
NRC to hear arguments against Diablo Canyon ISFSI license renewal The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that an agency licensing board will hold oral arguments in a challenge to Pacific Gas and Electric’s application to renew its license for the Diablo Canyon independent spent fuel storage installation in California.
NRC board to hear enviros’ case for forcing Diablo Canyon shut down
NRC board to hear enviros’ case for forcing Diablo Canyon shut down – ExchangeMonitor A Nuclear Regulatory Commission board in May plans to decide whether a citizen’s group can contest a utility’s plan to keep California’s last nuclear power plant running longer than planned, the commission said Monday.
Lawsuit Seeks to Uphold Closing California’s Last Nuke Plant
Lawsuit Seeks to Uphold Closing California’s Last Nuke Plant LOS ANGELES (AP) – An environmental group on Tuesday sued to block Pacific Gas & Electric from seeking to extend the federal operating licenses for California’s last nuclear power plant.
PG&E faces time crunch on Diablo Canyon license renewal as California weighs nuclear plant’s future
PG&E faces time crunch on Diablo Canyon license renewal as California weighs nuclear plant’s future Listen to the article None min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to apply for a 20-year license renewal for the 2.2-GW Diablo Canyon nuclear plant at the end […]
Bid to keep California reactors running faces time squeeze
Bid to keep California reactors running faces time squeeze LOS ANGELES – A late-hour attempt to extend the life of California’s last nuclear power plant has run into a predicament that will be difficult to resolve: a shortage of time. A state analysis Monday predicted it will take federal regulators until late 2026 to act […]
What’s next for California’s last nuclear plant?
What’s next for California’s last nuclear plant? Sara Rubin here, flipping the light switch and considering the remarkable infrastructure it takes to immediately power on. It’s something that is easy to forget about, but the power grid, bringing electricity all the way from power plants to my kitchen, is truly a marvel of engineering.