Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Thursday, September 24, 2026
RE: Proposed Clean Energy Innovation Hub and DCPP Parcel P -
Subject: Proposed Clean Energy Innovation Hub and DCPP Parcel P
Dear Karen: I appreciated our short conversation earlier today regarding the future of Parcel P at the Diablo Canyon Lands Conservation Planning Project meeting at the SLO County Library.
As I informed you, I'm a tenacious advocate for the extended operation of Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP.) In 2022, the American Nuclear Society awarded me a Presidential Citation for my pro-DCPP advocacy. In 2025, Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow wrote a book titled Atomic Dreams: The New Nuclear Evangelists and the Fight for the Future of Energy https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Dreams-Nuclear-Evangelists-Future/dp/1643753150 The chapter that highlights my advocacy is Chapter 14 - The Guy in the Headband. I would like to see DCPP continue to generate clean, firm power for its design lifetime which is about a century.
Per https://cms.calpolypartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rfp.pdf I understand that you are the point of contact for a proposed Clean Energy Innovation Hub which would presumably exist at Parcel P. I believe that such a project is mutually incompatible with DCPP extended operations. You may be aware that the original DCPP site plan was for six reactors, not two. During the 2025 Gifford Fire in eastern San Luis Obispo County, two of the three 500 kiloVolt lines feeding the state's AC backbone from DCPP were turned off out of an abundance of caution during the wildfire. The remaining line was able to carry the equivalent of about 1 1/2 reactors of power to the AC backbone. That fact implies that the three 500 kiloVolt lines could carry the power from about 4 1/2 reactors to the AC backbone. Thus, the DCPP site has the capability for significant nuclear power expansion.
DCPP supplies the equivalent of five Hoover Dams of clean firm power each year to the California power grid. DCPP's power also possesses important properties such as the greatest amount of synchronous grid inertia to maintain grid frequency stability. Thus, DCPP supplies an essential grid reliability service to the California power grid.
I'm requesting clarification regarding the plans for the proposed Clean Energy Innovation Hub in the event that DCPP continues to generate power, which I believe is the best and highest use for Parcel P.
Sincerely,
Gene Nelson, Ph.D. CGNP Senior Legal Researcher and President
Californians for Green Nuclear Power, Inc. (CGNP)
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Newsom to consider bill on nuclear power plant expansion | California | thecentersquare.com
Newsom to consider bill on nuclear power plant expansion | California | thecentersquare.com
See article below after comment:
RE: Newsom to consider bill on nuclear power plant expansion 09 21 26
Dear Madeline: As a nuclear power advocate, I appreciate your reporting on Assembly Member Calderon's AB 2647 in your attached article. I would have appreciated a quotation from a Diablo Canyon advocate to balance out your quotes from a representative for Committee to Bridge the Gap, an organization doctrinally opposed to California nuclear power.
Your citing the legislative analysis: "Diablo Canyon operates at a nine-figure annual loss, which PG&E ratepayers pay for despite large taxpayer-funded subsidies, according to the bill analysis" is also biased in a different fashion.
Under the terms of California SB 846 (Dodd, 2022) which extended Diablo Canyon's operations at least until 2030 stipulates that Diablo Canyon is now operated essentially for the benefit of the California Department of Water Resources by its owner PG&E. Ratepayers pay the difference between Diablo Canyon's operational costs and Diablo Canyon's CAISO market revenues. I believe this is a unique arrangement for any U.S. nuclear power plant.
Diablo Canyon was fully depreciated by PG&E by the end of 2025 with two rounds of accelerated depreciation. Diablo Canyon's market value is in excess of $15 billion, based on its replacement cost. PG&E receives a token management fee of about $100 million each year to manage this critical California generator. Diablo Canyon supplies up to 2,270 MW on a 24-7 basis. That power provides for the work and residential needs for about 4 million Californians. Its annual production is equal to about five Hoover Dams (before the current Colorado River drought.) Diablo Canyon is safe. Its operation does not cause increases in air or water pollution. Thus, Diablo Canyon is a "clean and firm" power generator.
Independent nonprofit intervenor Californians for Green Nuclear Power, Inc. (CGNP) is a Party before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC.) During the past decade CGNP served that unique role as an advocate for ratepayers and the environment in many CPUC Proceedings. In the current Diablo Canyon cost Proceeding, we observed that the projected 2026 net cost for Diablo Canyon will be around 3.1 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh.) Since California's residential retail rates are around 40 cents per kWh, [The most expensive in the continental U.S.] Diablo Canyon represents an incredible bargain for its essential clean and firm power.
Please consider contacting CGNP for balance when you write your next article about Diablo Canyon.
Sincerely,
Gene Nelson, Ph.D. CGNP Senior Legal Researcher and President
Californians for Green Nuclear Power, Inc. (CGNP)
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Nuclear Waste Innovator Deep Isolation Demonstrates Safe, Cost-Effective Disposal Pathway for Waste from Recycled Fuel
Nuclear Waste Innovator Deep Isolation Demonstrates Safe, Cost-Effective Disposal Pathway for Waste from Recycled Fuel
About Deep Isolation
Deep Isolation (OTCQB: DBHL) is the first company to undertake development of technologies for nuclear waste disposal in deep boreholes. When commercialized, Deep Isolation’s solution will offer a unique approach to help countries identify, plan for and complete the necessary steps to dispose of their nuclear waste inventories. With over 100 patents issued to date, Deep Isolation’s technology is being designed to leverage proven drilling practices to allow safe isolation of waste deep underground in horizontal, vertical, or slanted borehole repositories. Deep Isolation’s Universal Canister System was developed through a three-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy and is engineered to support integrated management of spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste from legacy and advanced reactors across storage, transportation, and eventual disposal. In January 2026, Deep Isolation launched a full-scale, at-depth deep borehole Commercialization Pilot for its solution at Cameron, Texas, in collaboration with the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center, Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), Amentum (NYSE: AMTM), NAC International (TYO: 7004), and Occlusion Nuclear Solutions.
For more information, visit: https://www.deepisolation.com
Fusion Technology Attracts $14 Billion in Race for Commercial Power - Bloomberg
Fusion Technology Attracts $14 Billion in Race for Commercial Power - Bloomberg
Fusion Gets $14 Billion Bet It’s More Than a ‘Science Project’
So far, scientists have pulled off energy-generating reactions only in laboratory settings, and the path there has been slow and costly. But companies say they’re getting rapidly closer to commercial viability.
Monday, September 21, 2026
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Friday, September 18, 2026
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