Lawmakers of the US state of California have passed a senate bill that allows Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to extend the lifetime of its 2.3 GW Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant until 2030. The Governor of California wanted to expand the lifetime of the nuclear plant by 10 years, however the lawmakers settled on a 5-year extension.
PG&E announced in June 2016 that it would close the 1,138 MW Unit 1 and the 1,151 MW Unit 2, both pressurized water reactors, upon the expiration of the reactors’ operating licenses, which was set to happen in November 2024 for Unit 1 and August 2025 for Unit 2. The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, located in central California, is the only operational nuclear plant and largest single power station in the state. The two units began operation in 1985 and 1986 respectively.
Nuclear accounted for 19% of the the United States’ total generation in 2021. There are 92 nuclear reactors currently in operation for a total capacity of about 99 GW (2022).
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