The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has signed the Diablo Canyon Power Plant's application, which would allow it to extend operations until 2045.
A decade ago, PG&E announced it would decommission the nuclear power plant by 2025. The plant's Unit 1 reactor was set to go offline in 2024 and Unit 2 in 2025.
But plans to shutter the plant changed in 2022, after Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 846 to allow the plant to continue operating until 2030. This extension came amid an increase in calls to keep it running, despite the state's goal to transition to more renewable energy sources.
PG&E CEO Sumeet Singh said what has happened over the past decade has been "unbelievable."
“I think about the journey that this team has been on, of where we were a decade ago and what we were facing as compared to where we are today,” he said.
According to PG&E, Diablo Canyon provides clean electricity to around 4 million Californians and makes up close to 20 percent of the state's clean energy.
U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal said this renewal comes at a time when there is a lot of uncertainty in the energy market.
“This license renewal comes at a critical time as global conflicts and trade disputes create uncertainty in the energy markets," Carbajal said. "I'm proud that our state is taking decisive steps to secure our power grid.”
Despite this 20-year extension granted by the federal government, in order for Diablo Canyon to operate past its planned retirement in 2030, it still requires action by the California legislature.
