Amory Lovins has once again chosen to publicly display his incredibly creative math skills. This time he is claiming that closing and destroying Diablo Canyon, a well-run and nicely situated nuclear power plant, 20 to 40 years before it has completed its useful life will reduce CO2 emissions and save money. His latest example of…
This morning I received a press release from the Natural Resources Defense Council bragging about signing a deal with PG&E that — if approved by the California Public Utilities Commission — would result in the plant’s license extension application being withdrawn. Without the extension, California would lose the last nuclear plant operating in the state…
BY: William Rodgers “Why would PG&E decide to destroy Diablo Canyon during its (I would think) period of highest ROI?” Because they can “earn” a higher ROI by switching to natural gas-fueled power plants that are supplemented by federally subsidized wind and solar. The stockholders will earn a guaranteed return on subsidized wind and solar….
On March 17, 2016 a group of sign-carrying, green tee shirt clad people gathered in downtown San Luis Obispo to show their support for the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Station. Organized by Californians for Green Nuclear Power and Friends of Diablo Canyon, the event was covered by reporters from several local…
The Friends of Diablo Canyon will be holding their second annual St. Patrick’s Day rally to increase public awareness of the importance of the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Station. Here are the details: Thursday’s Diablo Canyon support rally will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the SLO…
It’s not often that the Atomic Show has the chance to be a source of breaking news, but this show includes a timely report from Ben Heard in Adelaide, South Australia. Just an hour before our show began, the South Australia Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission issued the tentative findings from the investigative effort begun…
California has one of the most confusing energy policies in the country. Though it loudly proclaims itself as an environmental leader, with some of the most strict air and water pollution regulations in the world, it has a state law that prevents consideration of new nuclear power plants. It has forced the early closure of…
At the NRC’s August 5 public meeting on relicensing Diablo Canyon, a group of aging classic rock stars relied on their fading celebrity status to provide commentary and get their names into the press. David Crosby showed up in person, while Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt sent in written comments. Their…
Please remember that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is hosting two public meetings on August 5 in San Luis Obispo to provide an update on its review of Pacific Gas & Electric’s application to relicense the Diablo Canyon nuclear power station. That application was filed in November 2009. Here are the meeting details from the NRC…
As a literature major during my undergraduate years, I was fascinated by the variety of stories that can be told about the same topic depending on the author’s selected point of view. Here is a brief example. Friends of the Earth (FOE) has a page on its web site titled Shutting down Diablo Canyon. The…
On November 23, 2009 — close to six years ago — the Pacific Gas and Electric Company filed a license renewal application for Diablo Canyon units 1 and 2. That renewal application continues its excruciatingly slow journey through obstacles that continue to be invented by people who are opposed to the use of nuclear energy….
Diablo Canyon nuclear power station is self sufficient for potable and pure water. It uses a modular reverse osmosis plant with pumps powered from the plant output and a number of parallel osmosis units that remove salt when supplied with pressurized water. The plant is licensed to a capacity of 1.5 million gallons per day,…