Why is diablo canyon closing
Christopher Ramos
Updated on March 27, 2026
California is closing Diablo Canyon, which is a source of clean power, as it faces an energy emergency and a mandate to eliminate carbon emissions. Why?
There are other answers below:
Although PG&E says it still plans to close Diablo Canyon, the energy secretary’s comment comes as others are pushing for a reprieve. In November, a high-profile study produced by scientists at Stanford and MIT called for the plant to stay open. Opponents of Diablo Canyon said they fear a bandwagon effect is emerging to prolong the plant’s life.
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) decided to shut down Diablo Canyon mainly for economic reasons. The nuclear plant uses ocean water to cool its reactors, and the cooling technology is so destructive to ocean ecosystem that the technology is being completely phased out of power plants in California.
But it can’t do both. Under a 2018 agreement, Diablo Canyon, on the San Luis Obispo County coast, is scheduled to close when its operating licenses expire in …
Diablo Canyon is located in a seismically active zone. • Current NRC regulations prohibit nuclear facilities from being built next to active, major earthquake faults. • The recently discovered Shoreline Fault has not been thoroughly studied. It is located 300 meters from the intake structure and 600 meters from the power block.
About two months ago a reader suggested that I write a post about the pros and cons of relicensing the Diablo Canyon power plant, which California has committed to closing in 2025. Coincidentally, on Monday researchers from MIT and Stanford published a report encouraging California to revisit the decision to close the plant. So it seemed like a great time …
To friends and foes of Diablo, it was a foregone conclusion the plant would be forced to close if the state required cooling towers to replace the existing once-through cooling system, which runs…
Not only that, but closing down the plant will most likely drive thousands of workers from the area due to unemployment. PG&E has no other option but to pursue fossil fuel energy replacement due to the unrealistic expectations of green energy technology being a suitable replacement for the energy demand in the short term.
Calls to close Diablo Canyon escalated after a 2011 quake in Japan damaged two reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant there, leading to …
Op-ed author Jim Hopf writes “A primary reason why Diablo Canyon is being closed is that it is not included in California’s mandate for renewable power generation, despite its lack of pollution and CO2 emissions.”Related Questions
Why is California closing the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant?
Why is California closing Diablo Canyon nuclear plant? As blackouts and flex hours roil California, the state and the local utility responsible for its last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, are pushing ahead with plans to shut it down.
Is it time to close Diablo Canyon?
Between the seismic safety concerns and the costly upgrades, closing Diablo Canyon is still the right choice. And California needs to do more to replace Diablo Canyon with clean resources in order to prevent an increase in emissions and carry on in the transition to clean electricity.
Will PG&E retire Diablo Canyon power plant?
Under the proposal, the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County would be retired by PG&E after its current U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission operating licenses expire in November 2024 and August 2025.
Will Diablo Canyon’s retirement increase global warming emissions?
Shortly afterwards, California state legislators passed a law to ensure that Diablo Canyon’s retirement does not lead to an increase in global warming emissions when the power plant’s two nuclear reactors go offline in 2024 and 2025. But has the state been doing enough to replace Diablo Canyon without increasing global warming emissions?