No nuclear plant is “clean,” and most certainly not Diablo Canyon. Both the Unit 1 and Unit 2 reactors contain a thousand times the long-lived radioactivity of the atomic bomb that destroyed the city of Hiroshima in 1945, and the high-level radioactive wastes stored there contain about 10 times that amount of deadly radiation. Contrary to the opinion expressed by John Texeira (“Keep it open,” July 20) all nuclear plants are fundamentally dirty. The high-level waste created by fission remains lethal for 250,000 years. Compare that to the origins about 6,000 years ago of the oldest known civilizations. What institutions can we expect to last long enough to safeguard these dangerous toxins long term?
And contrary to the author’s assertion, the cost of electricity that would be generated by the Diablo Canyon plant if it is given renewed licenses to operate another 20 years would be greater than other options. This is the conclusion drawn in a 45-page study titled “A Cost Effective and Reliable Zero Carbon Replacement Strategy for Diablo Canyon Power Plant,” available online for readers interested in the details. This study was commissioned by Friends of the Earth after PG&E reneged on its commitment made in 2016 to shut down Diablo Canyon at the end of its current licenses in 2024 and 2025.
California can achieve a reliable energy supply without creating either carbon dioxide or radioactive wastes. Stanford University professor and author Mark Jacobson spells out the details in his best-selling book, No Miracles Needed: How Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air.
PG&E, close Diablo Canyon as you promised and get out of the way of a truly clean-energy future.
Jane Swanson
Mothers for Peace
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in 55 Fiction 2023.
I understand the temptation of nuclear power, but a 40-year-old reactor is not a good idea. Maybe if it was a brand new build that infused the more modern, best-practices that have evolved over the decades, like Bill Gate’s project in Wyoming. But enabling Diablo with new licensing is just too shaky for my tastes.
Ban the Reactor. Welcome to Calistan.
While the facility has been operational for 40 years, there is not much left of the “original” equipment. Diablo is constantly updated and upgraded, as new and better nuclear generating technologies and maintenance come to the fore. Storage of the spent rods, is a safe as science and engineering can make them. Remember, we tried to build a vast underground and incredibly safe facility, but you environmental weenies shut it down. Well, now you have to live with above ground storage.
Sweden has seen the light(!) of so-called renewable energy, and is opting out of solar and wind, and restarting their nuclear program, as the safest and most efficient means of gaining “green “energy.
None of the folks who are so upset about keeping Diablo Canyon open have proposed a technically viable near-term solution to what to do about our power needs if we eliminate nearly 10% of the state’s power. People anywhere but near the coast during this heat wave may be especially interested in how their air conditioning will be powered if Diablo Canyon is shut down. And, of course, the question as to how to provide power during the time that the sun is not shining, nor the wind blowing, remains unanswered. Diablo Canyon is our “least bad” answer.