Column: But do we really need the nuclear plant anymore? Critics bemoan “enormous financial gift” to PG&E, much from Southern Californians
Folks who hate nuclear energy — and, judging by my inbox, there are quite a few of you — rejoiced when San Onofre stopped splitting atoms more than a decade ago. But Southern Californians may be surprised to learn that, unless things radically change, they’ll be paying for nuclear energy again soon.
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In something of an all-for-one, one-for-all move, customers of Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric are slated to kick in another $1.25 or so a month (Edison) and 87 cents a month (SDG&E) to extend the life of the aging Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, run by Pacific Gas & Electric (whose customers are slated to pay $2.07 a month).
But that’s just for next year, and critics say those numbers grossly underestimate what folks would actually have to pay in future years. Worse is that, if PG&E collects more money than it needs for Diablo, it could keep it for projects in its area, while Southern Californians would get squat.
All this may not be welcome news. Electric bills have essentially doubled over the past decade. There’s no permanent home for radioactive waste. But the official idea is that the Central Coast’s Diablo — California’s last operating commercial nuclear power plant — will smooth the transition from fossil fuel past to greenhouse gas-free future “without compromising system reliability,” legislators said when they made the plan two years ago.
It’s not an inexpensive proposition. Keeping Diablo humming through 2030 — five years longer than its planned shut-down date — is an $8 billion-ish to $10 billion-ish to $12 billion-ish endeavor, depending on whose numbers you believe.
The pressing question is: Do we really need Diablo? California has added an impressive array of new energy resources over recent years, and more will come online during the Diablo extension period.
The California Public Utilities Commission is to make final decisions on who pays what by year’s end. Folks might want to chime in now, while they can.
Hot, hot, hot
Despite this summer’s dragon-breath heat, there have been no rolling blackouts due to energy shortages. No frantic requests to conserve power to keep others’ lights on.
Turns out that California has added 18,500 megawatts of new resources between 2020 and 2024 — enough to power some 14 million homes — and another 11,000 megawatts are slated to come online by 2028, according to data from the California Public Utilities Commission.
Most of these new resources are green — battery storage, solar or a combination of both.
“We are glad to be doing our part in adding battery electric storage systems that support grid reliability, especially this summer with the repeated heat waves,” said Southern California Edison spokesman Jeff Monford. “The results speak for themselves.”
Interesting article. On one hand it praises the State for adding more power sources but neglects to point out that most of these have questionable environmental issues. (Like what goes into solar panels? Are they vulnerable to sabotage? Will heavy storm stop solar panels?)
Then how about those wind farms. You know the ones they want in the ocean, after seeing the detrimental impacts of whales and dolphins. What about the environmental impact of fiberglass blades that do not degrade or the almost 60 gallons of gear oil each windmill uses to operate?
Do we need Diablo? You betcha since the State is in the process of destroying water dams that generate electricity. There again is the issue of where will the replacement water come from? Cannot grow crops so cannot eat.
I know how about desal!!! But wait the environmentalists really object to desal. How much energy will have to be isolated to pump product water to Filtration and Mixing Plants?
So many questions and yet the Democrats sweep them aside as if they have a magic wand.
You know like they have been doing with Illegals, and criminals.
We need a source that is “always on”.
The Democrats believe in Tinkerbell magic.
The hatred of Nuclear is irrational.
but LNG would also be an option that the Rulers in Sacramento are prevented, by their green religion, from using.
Interesting that diesel fuel has now reached a point where it can now be produced through renewable sources that makes it a zero item for the greenies…..
LNG can be produced with Zero carbon foot print with new capturing technology. So where is the problem? How about it greenies.