Diablo

The Department of Energy (DOE) has conditionally awarded $1.1 billion in federal funding to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) to support extending operations at California’s last remaining nuclear power plant. PG&E’s 2.2 GW Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) in San Luis Obispo County provides about 17% of California’s carbon-free electricity and 8.6% of the…

California regulators on Thursday took two actions to further its long-term renewable energy strategy, approving a plan to close the last major nuclear generation plant and agreeing to replace several natural gas-fired peaking units.

Plans unveiled Tuesday to eventually close California’s last nuclear generating plant by 2025 appear to shut out the prospect for any new natural gas-fired generation being part of the electric generation replacements.

Pacific Gas and Electric said the unusual event declared Mondayat its Diablo Canyon Power Plant Unit 1 was terminated at 9:57 a.m.Tuesday morning. It noted that “An Unusual Event” is the lowestlevel of emergency classification as defined by the NRC and doesnot require any emergency action by the general public or anygovernment agency. Throughout the event all reactor safety systemsfunctioned properly and radiation monitors did not detect anyradioactivity above normal background, the utility said. The eventwas terminated after off-site power was restored to the unit anddiesel generators used to power cooling equipment during the eventwere shut off and placed in standby. Offsite power was lostfollowing an electrical short and fire at 12:25 a.m. Monday. Thediesel generators are used to power reactor cooling equipment inthe event of a reactor trip when offsite power is not available.Efforts at the plant are now focused on determining the cause ofthe electrical short and fire and to make repairs.