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)