California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday proposed extending the life of the state’s last operating nuclear power plant by at least five to 10 years to maintain reliable power supplies in the climate change era. A draft bill obtained by The Associated Press said the plan would allow the plant to continue operating beyond a scheduled closing by 2025. The draft proposal also includes a possible loan for operator Pacific Gas & Electric for up to $1.4 billion. The proposal was confirmed by Newsom spokesman Anthony York. The bill says impacts of climate change are occurring sooner than anticipated and are simultaneously driving up electrical demand while reducing power supplies. “The governor has been clear for months about the potential need to extend the life of Diablo Canyon,” York said. He added that Newsom’s administration has stressed the need to keep all options on the table to maintain reliable power and that “this proposal reflects the continued need to keep that flexibility.” The proposal said the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon plant beyond 2025 is “critical to ensure statewide energy system reliability.” Nuclear power doesn’t produce carbon pollution like fossil fuels, but leaves behind waste that can remain dangerously radioactive for centuries. The draft proposal was obtained ahead of a California Energy Commission meeting on the state’s energy needs and the role that the seaside plant midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco could play. Newsom’s plan was met by immediate criticism from environmentalists who called it a huge financial giveaway for PG&E that pushes aside state environmental safeguards. If approved, the state would “give PG&E over $1 billion in loans at below the interest rate even state agencies charge among themselves, and it’s completely forgivable,” said David Weisman, legislative director of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, an advocacy group. PG&E’s service area is concentrated in Northern California and Weisman asked: “What are taxpayers in Southern California getting out of this?” Ralph Cavanagh of the Natural Resources Defense Council said the plan would provide sweeping exemptions from environmental rules, including the California Environmental Quality Act. “This draft was prepared by someone with little understanding of California energy policy or history,” Cavanagh said. The California Legislature has less than three weeks to determine if it will take an extraordinary step and attempt to extend the life of the plant — a decision that would be made amid looming questions over the cost, who would pay and earthquake safety risks. The legislative session shuts down Aug. 31 — when all business is suspended — and only a rare special session called by Newsom could provide a longer period to consider the move. The Democratic governor, who is seen as a possible future White House candidate, has urged PG&E for months to pursue a longer run beyond a scheduled closing by 2025, warning that the plant’s power is needed to maintain reliable service as the state transitions to solar, wind and other renewable sources of energy. Newsom’s administration is expected to outline its argument Friday during a three-hour California Energy Commission hearing focused on the state’s power needs in the climate change era, and what role the decades-old nuclear plant might have in maintaining reliable electricity in the nation’s most populous state. Those raising questions with Newsom include state Sen. John Laird, […]

The post California Governor Proposes Extending Nuclear Plant’s Life appeared first on The Yeshiva World.