California’s only nuclear power plant received a key state approval on Thursday that it needs for the federal government to relicense the facility for another two decades.
What happened: The California Coastal Commission voted Thursday to approve the state and federal permits Pacific Gas & Electric needs before it can receive final approval to continue operating the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in San Luis Obispo. It was the second time it’d come before the agency in as many months.
Why it matters: PG&E needed the Coastal Commission approval to obtain the 20-year renewal of its federal license to operate the nuclear power plant, which is a centerpiece of the utility’s energy production.
Context: Last month, the Coastal Commission rejected its own staff’s recommendation that PG&E conserve 1,100 acres of the 12,000-acre property on which the plant is located to offset the impact of the almost 2 billion larval fish the plant’s cooling system kills each year.
