The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California, which has been providing about 9% of the state’s electricity, was originally scheduled to close its two reactors in 2024 and 2025. However, in 2022, California lawmakers passed legislation allowing the plant to remain open until 2030, and state and federal regulators recently approved the extension. This decision reflects a rare bright spot for U.S. nuclear power, which has been struggling in recent years due to aging infrastructure and economic pressures.
While keeping Diablo Canyon open longer may help with reliability and reducing emissions, it also highlights the challenges facing the nuclear industry. Building new nuclear plants in the U.S. is extremely difficult and costly, primarily due to a regulatory approach that is overly cautious about radiation risks. As a result, the industry has been unable to open new plants, leading to an aging fleet of reactors, like Diablo Canyon, approaching 40 years of operation.
The outdated regulatory framework in the U.S. surrounding radiation risks is based on assumptions that even low doses of radiation can increase cancer risks. However, emerging evidence suggests that low-dose radiation may be less harmful than previously thought and could even have some health benefits. Despite this, regulators have been slow to update their approach, leading to high costs and lengthy delays in building new plants and decommissioning old ones.
Decommissioning a nuclear plant like Diablo Canyon is projected to take decades and cost around $4 billion, with the need for on-site storage of radioactive waste indefinitely. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the risks posed by aging nuclear plants and are suing to force Diablo Canyon’s closure. While their concerns may be valid, the challenges facing the industry go beyond individual plants, reflecting a broader issue of an aging and stagnant nuclear sector.
Extending the operations of Diablo Canyon may provide short-term benefits in terms of grid stability and low-carbon power generation. However, it also highlights the industry’s reliance on outdated technology and regulatory practices. For the nuclear industry to thrive and evolve, a paradigm shift towards modern radiation risk assessment is necessary. Without this change, the sector is likely to continue facing challenges in building new plants and managing older ones, leading to a cycle of stagnation and inertia.
