Skip To Main Content
VIEW TOP PGE.COM SEARCHES
CARE. Find out if you qualify for a discount. Rebates. Explore PG&E rebates for your home.Outages. Report and view electric outages.Medical Baseline Allowance. Learn how to apply.Jobs/Careers. Find out about jobs at PG&E.Solar power. Get started with clean energy.Paperless billing. Find out how to sign up.
Diablo Canyon Unit 2 safely shuts down for planned refueling and maintenance outage
May 1, 2016
AVILA BEACH, Calif.— On May 1 at 12:02 a.m., operators at Pacific Gas and Electric Company's (PG&E) Diablo Canyon Power Plant safely took Unit 2 offline for a planned refueling and maintenance outage.
"Diablo Canyon Power Plant is an important energy resource for California and a significant economic engine for the Central Coast. The work we are performing in the weeks ahead supports our strong commitment to operate the facility in a safe and efficient manner, and ensures the continued delivery of clean, zero-emissions electricity to our customers," said Jim Welsch, PG&E Vice President, Nuclear Generation.
In total, more than 155,000 person-hours will be invested in this refueling and maintenance outage. PG&E has brought in approximately 1,000 highly-skilled, temporary workers to assist the plant's 1,500 full-time employees. Together, they will complete the refueling and other important upgrades, inspections, and replacements that can only be completed while Unit 2 is shut down.
This outage will bring additional economic activity to San Luis Obispo County as the additional 1,000 outage workers – some of whom are coming to the area from as far away as Pennsylvania – will spend their money locally on a variety of goods and services, as well as housing.
Each of Diablo Canyon Power Plant’s two reactor units is safely refueled approximately every 18 months. Unit 1 will continue to safely generate electricity while Unit 2 is offline.
About Diablo Canyon Power Plant
Diablo Canyon Power Plant is a nuclear power facility owned and operated by PG&E. Its two units together produce approximately 2,300 net megawatts of carbon-free power. It provides nearly 10 percent of all electricity generated in California, enough energy to meet the needs of more than three million Northern and Central Californians. Diablo Canyon has a $920 million annual local economic impact and is the largest private employer in San Luis Obispo County.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.