Re: Contentious California nuclear plant can keep operating, federal regulators decide

[Oh the hypocrisy]

On 26 Jan 2022, PaxPerPoten <PaxPe...@magik.beanz.net> posted some
news:sss73t$mnqj$1...@news.freedyn.de:

> Newsmax says Cyndi Lauper is a piece of shit.
>

California’s biggest utility will be able to keep a disputed nuclear plant
running while seeking official permission to extend the facility’s
operations, a federal regulatory decided on Thursday.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted an exemption on Thursday
to Pacific Gas & Electricity that will allow the Diablo Canyon nuclear
power plant to continue operating under its current licenses while the
agency considers its renewal application.

While both Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and state legislators have been
advocating for the extension as a reliable source of energy to support
California’s clean energy transition, environmental groups remain vocal in
their opposition for the plans.

Located about 25 miles southwest of San Luis Obispo along California’s
Central Coast, the Diablo Canyon first began operating in 1985.

PG&E announced plans in 2016 to retire the facility and decommission the
reactors when the licenses expire. But after California enacted
legislation this fall to continue operations, the utility moved to apply
for a license renewal.

The licenses for Diablo’s two reactors are set to expire in November of
2024 and August 2025, respectively.

The NRC exemption enables those licenses to remain in effect while the
regulator reviews the renewal application, assuming that PG&E submits its
request by the end of the year, according to the regulator.

“The exemption is authorized by law, will not present undue risk to the
public health and safety, and is consistent with the common defense and
security,” a statement from the NRC said.

“Diablo Canyon’s continued operation is in the public interest because of
serious challenges to the reliability of California’s electricity grid,”
the regulator added.

Throughout the renewal process, the NRC said that it would maintain
oversight “to ensure continued safe operation.” If the license renewal is
granted, the regulator said it would authorize the continued operation of
the facility for up to 20 years.

“PG&E will continue on the path to extend our operations beyond 2025,”
Paula Gerfen, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer for PG&E
said in a statement.

That path, Gerfen continued, would aim “to improve statewide electric
system reliability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

“We are committed to California’s clean energy future,” she added.

The Diablo Canyon power plant — whose continued operations have garnered
vehement opposition from environmental groups — gained a lifeline when
lawmakers passed related legislation, S.B. 846, at the tail end of August.

The bill granted legislative approval for the operation of each unit
through the end of October 2029 and 2030, respectively, pending license
renewal by the NRC.

Earlier that month, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) had proposed extending the
plant’s shelf life, with a goal of maintaining a carbon-free, reliable
power supply as the state shifts to renewables.

In a visit to the Diablo Canyon plant on Wednesday, Newsom emphasized the
importance of the facility to California’s clean energy transition.

“As we experienced during the record heat wave last September, climate
change-driven extreme events are causing unprecedented stress on our power
grid,” Newsom said in a statement.

“The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is important to support energy reliability
as we accelerate progress towards achieving our clean energy and climate
goals,” the governor added.

The NRC’s decision to grant the exemption on Thursday follows a
determination from the California Energy Commission earlier this week that
the state should keep the plant running through 2030 to support grid
reliability.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) expressed her support for the NRC’s decision,
stressing that “the next few years are going to be critical for
California’s energy transition.”

Notably, Feinstein had changed course on the subject this past summer,
explaining that “while California is leading the way on renewables, we
aren’t there yet.”

“This decision will allow Diablo Canyon to serve as a bridge to a clean-
energy future, maintaining a reliable source of carbon-free power as we
continue to invest in renewable energy,” the senator said on Thursday.

Environmental activists, however, slammed the NRC’s move as
“unprecedented” in a collective statement.

The NRC has never approved an exemption for a license renewal that would
enable a nuclear reactor to exceed its 40-year legal threshold without a
comprehensive review, the groups said.

“The NRC calls the exemption a mere ‘administrative’ decision, as if it
were choosing paper clip sizes,” said Diane Curran, lead attorney for San
Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace.

“There is nothing ‘administrative’ about allowing this aging reactor duo
to continue running for days, months or years, when each day of operation
poses the risk of an accident that could devastate the entire state and
beyond,” Curran added.

Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, said that “public
safety concerns were blatantly ignored by the NRC” over what he described
as a “reckless decision to bend the law for PG&E.”

“A federal agency responsible for protecting public safety is now simply
serving as the consigliere of the nuclear industry,” Cook added.

TAGS CALIFORNIA CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION DIABLO CANYON NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
DIANNE FEINSTEIN ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP GAVIN NEWSOM GAVIN NEWSOM
PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC RENEWABLE ENERGY S.B. 846 SAN LUIS OBISPO MOTHERS
FOR PEACE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION HOMOSEXUAL PERVERSION
DEMOCRAT PAEDOPHILE DISNEY HOLLYWOOD GROOMING CHILDREN LESBIAN CHILD
MOLESTER LIBERAL OBAMA

<https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/3882012-
contentious-california-nuclear-plant-can-keep-operating-federal-
regulators-decide/>