About the Facility

Diablo Canyon Power Plant, which sits on approximately 1,000 acres on the Pacific coast, has operated safely since 1985 with its two Westinghouse Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) units that are licensed until 2024 and 2025 respectively. The two units produce a total of 18,000 gigawatt-hours of clean and reliable electricity annually, which is enough energy to meet the needs of more than three million Northern and Central Californians (10% of California's energy portfolio and 20% of the power that PG&E provides throughout its service area).

For more than 25 years, Diablo Canyon has continued to safely produce clean and reliable energy without greenhouse gases (GHG), avoiding 6 to 7 million tons per year of GHGs that would be emitted by conventional generation resources. Diablo Canyon has one of the strongest safety records in the industry. Built to withstand extreme natural disasters, including earthquakes, Diablo Canyon’s design features state-of-the-art seismic supports. Also, the facility is continually inspected and assessed by Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors, to ensure that the facility’s systems are operating safely and efficiently each and every day.

License Renewal

Extending Diablo Canyon’s operating licenses for another 20 years is a necessary step toward meeting the state’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals and meeting increasing energy demands in California.

Replacing Diablo Canyon’s more than 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually would require California residents and businesses to invest in additional energy infrastructure. According to the California Public Utilities Commission, California uses 265,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity per-year and consumption is expected to continue growing by two percent each year. By not extending Diablo Canyon's licenses, it would remove an existing clean and reliable source of electricity.

Although PG&E’s energy portfolio that will be in place after Diablo Canyon’s current licenses have expired has yet to be determined, extending Diablo Canyon’s licenses for another 20 years through 2044 and 2045 for units 1 and 2 respectively, will help ensure California will be able to meet the state’s future energy demands.

Learn more about the Diablo Canyon’s operating license process.