Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant is the only operational nuclear plant left in California|Emdot|CC BY 2.0
California lawmakers on Thursday gave the state’s already aggressive climate change policies a push, extending by five years the life of its only nuclear plant with a billion-dollar loan.
They voted in favor of reversing a 2016 decision to retire PG&E Corp’s Diablo Canyon power plant by 2025 and extend its operation to 2030. The measure is expected to maintain emission-free power amid a tight supply that has threatened blackouts in the state.
About 9% of California’s electricity and nearly a fifth of its carbon-free power comes from nuclear energy generated by the Diablo Canyon plant.
Federal govt to pay
California said that most or all of the $1.4 billion loan to keep the plant running will be covered by the federal government, which last month greenlighted the biggest climate change law in US history.
The state has also allocated more than $50 billion to clean-energy investments and vowed to generate 90% of its electricity from clean sources by 2035.
“We know we will see even hotter heatwaves, more severe droughts, and fiercer wildfires if we don’t act on climate. The Legislature took significant steps today to change that trajectory for the better,” said Laura Deehan of the Environment California green group.