Source: United States Senator for California – Dianne Feinstein
Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Energy announced $1.1 billion in federal funding to help keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant operating:
“I welcome the news that the Department of Energy has granted $1.1 billion to help keep the Diablo Canyon Power Plant open an additional five years.
“This short-term extension is necessary if California is going to meet its ambitious clean-energy goals while continuing to deliver reliable power. This is especially critical as California’s electric grid has faced increasing challenges from climate-fueled extreme weather events.
“Shuttering the plant would remove 18,000 gigawatt-hours from the electric grid, nearly 10 percent of California’s electricity generation, energy that would very likely be replaced by dirty energy sources.
“Instead, this federal investment will allow Diablo Canyon to continue producing carbon-free energy until 2030, giving the state the time it needs to bring additional renewable energy sources online and eventually replace the energy produced by the nuclear plant.
“I was pleased to see Governor Newsom sign SB 846 into law in September to extend operations at Diablo Canyon five years beyond its current 2025 closure. PG&E last month took an important step to formally apply for a new operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. I will continue to monitor this process to ensure thorough and rigorous safety and environmental reviews are undertaken at both the federal and state levels.”
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