Unit 2’s turbine generator at PG&E’s Diablo Canyon power plant.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergCleaner Tech
California’s Last Nuclear Plant Is Poised to Stave Off Extinction
Diablo Canyon is nearing the end of a long relicensing process as the need for round-the-clock power grows.
California’s last-running nuclear plant barely escaped extinction in 2022. The cost of operating it has become a source of tension amid a worsening affordability crisis. And the state has a moratorium on new nuclear power.
Yet, the Diablo Canyon plant — in many ways a relic of yesteryear — is primed for a 20-year extension, coinciding with the age of AI. The reason is simple enough: the state needs electricity.