California Governor Says He Will Not Push for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Life Extension During His Term

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he will not push to extend the operating life of the state's only commercial nuclear power plant—Diablo Canyon—during his final months in office. This means the plant's fate after 2030 will be left at least to the next state administration to decide.

Located in San Luis Obispo County, California, the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant has two units and is owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Under an arrangement PG&E reached in 2016, the two units were originally scheduled for phased retirement. However, after California's high temperatures in 2022 triggered power supply strain and blackouts, Newsom pushed to delay the closure plan.

When asked about the plant's future arrangements at a press conference, Newsom said the matter would be "handed over to the next administration." His term as governor ends in January 2027.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued operating licenses to PG&E, with Unit 1's license valid through 2044 and Unit 2's license valid through 2045. However, at the state level, California has only approved the two units to operate until 2029 and 2030, respectively. If PG&E wishes to use the full operating period covered by the NRC licenses, the California legislature would still need to pass a law allowing Diablo Canyon to continue operating after 2030.

Currently, no related bill has been introduced in California. Newsom also indicated that even if legislation on life extension were proposed, he does not plan to take action during his term to extend the state's approval for the plant's operation after 2030, instead leaving the decision to the next governor.

PG&E, meanwhile, continues to advocate for moving forward with the plant's life extension as soon as possible. In a statement, the company said that if approval for Diablo Canyon to continue operating after 2030 is granted during the current legislative session, it could avoid some of the costs associated with building new power sources by 2032 under the California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC) recent 6,000-megawatt procurement order, saving electricity customers $1.7 billion.

PG&E also stated that the expected savings have received support from multiple parties, including other investor-owned utilities, publicly owned utilities, community choice aggregators, and environmental groups. The company said it is ready to continue supporting California's power reliability and clean energy goals.

Last week, more than 50 elected officials signed a joint letter urging the California legislature to extend the operating life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. Earlier this year, several business, labor, and regional organizations formed a coalition called "Diablo Canyon 2045" to push for changes to California law that would create conditions for extending the life of the two units.