The U.S. Department of Energy announced Diablo Canyon Power Plant will receive the first round of funding from the Civil Nuclear Credit Program.
The California power plant received conditional selection for the $6 billion credit program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to a Nov. 21 news release. The approximate $1.1 billion in funding will help keep the power plant open.
"This is a critical step toward ensuring that our domestic nuclear fleet will continue providing reliable and affordable power to Americans as the nation's largest source of clean electricity," Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in the release. "Nuclear energy will help us meet President Biden's climate goals, and with these historic investments in clean energy, we can protect these facilities and the communities they serve."
The Civil Nuclear Credit Program supports "continued operations of safe and reliable nuclear energy facilities," while preserving jobs in the industry and "avoiding carbon emissions," the news release said. Nuclear reactors are the nation's nation's largest source of carbon-free power and are vital to reaching the Biden administration's goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035, in addition to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
"I welcome the news that the Department of Energy has awarded $1.1 billion to help keep the Diablo Canyon Power Plant open," U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in the release. "This short-term extension is necessary if California is going to meet its ambitious clean energy goals while continuing to deliver reliable power. I will continue to monitor this process to ensure thorough and rigorous safety and environmental reviews are undertaken at both the federal and state levels."
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal said record setting heat waves and the climate crisis makes it more important than ever to move forward to "fully transition California away from polluting fossil fuels," the release reported.
"In the pursuit of that goal, our Central Coast community and I have understood the need to explore and support the safe and temporary extension of the lifespan of Diablo Canyon Power Plant," Carbajal said. "I am happy that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I helped craft and get signed into law last year, is now providing California this support to maintain grid reliability while pursuing our goal of a net-zero power supply. While there are still remaining safety concerns that need to be addressed, including relicensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, these funds – when combined with the funds made available by the California legislature – will help ensure Diablo Canyon can safely continue operations."
