Why Diablo Canyon Destruction Deal Will Fail - by Rod Adams

I recently 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by the California Public Utilities Commission — would result in the plant’s license extension application being withdrawn.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 the end of 2025.

I described my reaction to that announcement in a post titled NRDC Announces PG&E Has Agreed to Kill Diablo Canyon.

Later in the day, I participated in a press conference hosted by Environmental Progress and Mothers for Nuclear.  The three principals of those groups, Michael Shellenberger, Heather Matteson, and Kristin Zaitz spent more than a half an hour explaining why they are certain that the deal struck between the NRDC, PG&E, FOE, IBEW Local 1245, Coalition of California Utility Employees, Environment California, and Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility will fail.

They pointed out that the announcement is deceptive; there is no way to avoid the fact that closing an emission-free, reliable source of 17,000-18,000 gigawatt hours of steady power per year cannot be done without a substantial increase in greenhouse gas emissions.  If there were ways to produce or avoid the need for that many kilowatt hours of power, why not implement them AND keep Diablo Canyon operating?

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