What is “adequate safety”? And how much does it cost? These might sound like simple questions, but when it comes to PG&E’s Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, the answers are anything but simple.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) have to come up with their own answers to these questions — pronto — and to the many other questions that flow from them.
Diablo, of course, is the massive, double-domed nuclear facility just up the coast from Santa Barbara County. The NRC has the task, in early 2024, of starting to consider a 20-year-license-renewal request once Pacific Gas & Electric submits it at the end of this year.