The decision to close Diablo Canyon Power Plant was made by plant owner Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for economic reasons, and replacement energy will come from greenhouse-gas-free sources.
These facts are contrary to statements made by Ms. Ripley in her letter to New Times titled “Nuclear is the way to go” (April 18).
In a press release titled “Bridging to California’s energy future,” PG&E describes a reduced need for electricity in California: “State policies that focus on renewables and energy efficiency, coupled with projected lower customer electricity demand in the future, will result in a significant reduction in the need for the electricity produced by Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) past 2025.”
In that same press release, PG&E makes it clear that future energy sources will not include fossil fuels: “The parties jointly proposed that DCPP be replaced with a cost-effective, greenhouse-gas-free portfolio of energy efficiency, renewables, and other clean energy resources.”
The closure of Diablo Canyon will benefit both PG&E’s ratepayers and the environment.
Jane Swanson
San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace
This article appears in Best of SLO County 2019.
PG&E might pay for wind and solar power, but most of the replacement power will be from, at best, gas.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that shutting down a facility that produces massive amounts of pollution-free, CO2-free power, 24/7, is NOT good for the environment!
It is doubtful that Diablo Canyon’s generation will be replaced entirely by renewable sources, but even if it was, its closure would remain an environmental crime. You see, all that new renewable generation could be used to replace fossil generation instead. Replacing also-non-emitting nuclear with renewables, while leaving polluting, CO2-emitting fossil generation intact is indefensible. Spending a huge amount of time, money and effort, to replace one non-emitting source (nuclear) with another (renewables), thus making no progress at all vs. global warming, are not the actions of a society that is genuinely concerned about global warming. The fraction of CA’s power coming from fossil sources has remained roughly constant (and over 50%) for almost 20 years, despite massive efforts to build renewables.
Diablo was NOT closed for economic reasons! It’s going forward power costs were much lower than those associated with new renewable generation. PG&E cried uncle in the face of massive political pressure from the anti-nuclear state government along with several anti-nuclear NGOs (including Mothers for “Peace” – note that continued dependence on fossil fuels tend to lead to wars).
It is true that PG&E may make more money by taking the higher cost path (i.e., replacing Diablo with new sources), due to the cost-plus-fixed-profit-margin system. Higher costs, higher profits. The ratepayers, of course, will be the losers. But CA institutions that normally would protect ratepayers from such profiteering (e.g., the PUC) are so horny to close down the state’s last nuclear plant that they are willing to do the opposite, and essentially bribe PG&E with the ratepayers’ money in order to do so. Political pressure indeed!
Unfortunately Jane has no idea what shes talking about. The moment Diablo is shut down, has will be switched on. Scientific fact, no getting around that. The closure of any nuclear plant always results in increased emissions, as compared to continued operation. Build the renewables, install upgrades to increase efficiency, and keep nuclear running for truly low emissions. We need all of the above if were serious about tackling pollution and climate change.
Compare German co2 emissions with Frances on electricity and you will see there is only one proven method to reduce greenhouse gasses. Germany for the same money could be at near zero carbon like France is but instead they spent the per-capita equivalent of 4 trillion in the United States and have basically nothing to show for it on their grams of co2 per watt used. A vote for wind and solar is a vote for gas and coal.
Nuclear power also kills fertility and health. Many studies have demonstrated this. Child cancers, infant mortality and much more.