David Middlecamp/dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
Jennifer L. Klay
Fri, July 8, 2022
Momentum is building in San Luis Obispo County and across the state to extend operations at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant beyond its scheduled shutdown beginning in 2024.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is reconsidering the closure of the state’s last nuclear facility and single largest source of clean energy production. Sen. Dianne Feinstein recently changed her mind about shuttering Diablo Canyon. Nationally, the U.S. Department of Energy has proposed changes to allow the plant to qualify for federal assistance to remain in operation.
So why the recent shift? Time is running out to avert the worsening impacts of climate change and Diablo Canyon can help speed up our progress toward reducing emissions.
Research has shown that Diablo Canyon could enable the state to achieve a carbon-free electric grid 10 years ahead of schedule.
Two studies, one by Stanford and MIT and another by the Brattle Group, also found that the plant could dramatically reduce carbon emissions and reliance on natural gas and bolster grid reliability while saving Californians billions on their energy bills.
Still, some critics persist in arguing that we can combat the crisis without Diablo Canyon — or that extending operations would run counter to our state’s renewable energy goals.
Rigorous analysis strongly suggests otherwise.
As of today, California is on track to badly miss its climate goals.
According to a recent report by Energy Innovation, the state needs to more than triple its rate of greenhouse gas reductions to reach its target of lowering emissions to 40 percent of 1990 levels by 2030. The Brattle Group study found that the expansion of solar power — one of the pillars of decarbonization — is currently running at less than half the rate required to maintain reliability and achieve the state’s zero-carbon goals.
Even if the state builds solar energy capacity at twice the current rate, California will remain dependent on polluting gas-fired power generation and carbon-emitting imported fuels in the near term. Those emissions will linger in the air and warm the atmosphere for centuries while retaining Diablo Canyon would enable the state to displace these sources with carbon-free generation.
Others express concern over the handling and storage of Diablo Canyon’s spent fuel. The volume of spent fuel is low and secured within dry casks that keep workers safe, prevent leaks, and withstand the impact of natural disasters. This technology is not new and has been rigorously tested and used for decades at Diablo Canyon and dozens of other sites throughout the nation.
Diablo Canyon’s seismic preparedness and safety is another topic of misinformation from opponents. But rigorous analysis has made clear that the plant is built to withstand any and all seismic activity at the site. In a letter to Gov. Newsom, experts point out that an extensive regulatory review found that Diablo could safely withstand even the largest earthquakes and that no additional seismic or flood protection retrofits are needed. Diablo Canyon “does not pose a seismic danger, and thus the seismic issue should be taken off the table,” the experts wrote.
Meanwhile, local support for retaining Diablo Canyon is strong. A January poll found that 74 percent of San Luis Obispo County voters support continued operation of the plant. In a show of bipartisan cooperation, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham and County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg joined forces to warn that closing the plant would increase the state’s dependence on carbon-emitting natural gas, preventing us from meeting our ambitious emissions goals.
As California braces for prolonged drought, wildfires and weather extremes, every moment counts in securing the state’s clean energy future. Diablo Canyon should continue to produce carbon-free power to benefit the state and the local San Luis Obispo community and serve as an integral part of an all-of-the-above approach to building our low-carbon future.
Jennifer L. Klay is a physics professor at Cal Poly
Momentum is building in San Luis Obispo County and across the state to extend operations at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant beyond its scheduled shutdown beginning in 2024.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is reconsidering the closure of the state’s last nuclear facility and single largest source of clean energy production. Sen. Dianne Feinstein recently changed her mind about shuttering Diablo Canyon. Nationally, the U.S. Department of Energy has proposed changes to allow the plant to qualify for federal assistance to remain in operation.
So why the recent shift? Time is running out to avert the worsening impacts of climate change and Diablo Canyon can help speed up our progress toward reducing emissions.
Research has shown that Diablo Canyon could enable the state to achieve a carbon-free electric grid 10 years ahead of schedule.
Two studies, one by Stanford and MIT and another by the Brattle Group, also found that the plant could dramatically reduce carbon emissions and reliance on natural gas and bolster grid reliability while saving Californians billions on their energy bills.
Still, some critics persist in arguing that we can combat the crisis without Diablo Canyon — or that extending operations would run counter to our state’s renewable energy goals.
Rigorous analysis strongly suggests otherwise.
As of today, California is on track to badly miss its climate goals.
According to a recent report by Energy Innovation, the state needs to more than triple its rate of greenhouse gas reductions to reach its target of lowering emissions to 40 percent of 1990 levels by 2030. The Brattle Group study found that the expansion of solar power — one of the pillars of decarbonization — is currently running at less than half the rate required to maintain reliability and achieve the state’s zero-carbon goals.
Even if the state builds solar energy capacity at twice the current rate, California will remain dependent on polluting gas-fired power generation and carbon-emitting imported fuels in the near term. Those emissions will linger in the air and warm the atmosphere for centuries while retaining Diablo Canyon would enable the state to displace these sources with carbon-free generation.
Others express concern over the handling and storage of Diablo Canyon’s spent fuel. The volume of spent fuel is low and secured within dry casks that keep workers safe, prevent leaks, and withstand the impact of natural disasters. This technology is not new and has been rigorously tested and used for decades at Diablo Canyon and dozens of other sites throughout the nation.
Diablo Canyon’s seismic preparedness and safety is another topic of misinformation from opponents. But rigorous analysis has made clear that the plant is built to withstand any and all seismic activity at the site. In a letter to Gov. Newsom, experts point out that an extensive regulatory review found that Diablo could safely withstand even the largest earthquakes and that no additional seismic or flood protection retrofits are needed. Diablo Canyon “does not pose a seismic danger, and thus the seismic issue should be taken off the table,” the experts wrote.
Meanwhile, local support for retaining Diablo Canyon is strong. A January poll found that 74 percent of San Luis Obispo County voters support continued operation of the plant. In a show of bipartisan cooperation, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham and County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg joined forces to warn that closing the plant would increase the state’s dependence on carbon-emitting natural gas, preventing us from meeting our ambitious emissions goals.
As California braces for prolonged drought, wildfires and weather extremes, every moment counts in securing the state’s clean energy future. Diablo Canyon should continue to produce carbon-free power to benefit the state and the local San Luis Obispo community and serve as an integral part of an all-of-the-above approach to building our low-carbon future.
Jennifer L. Klay is a physics professor at Cal Poly
No comments:
Post a Comment