Lauren RabainoNearly $1 billion of company and customer money has been put into the Diablo Canyon Power Plant to replace both of its steam generators and turbines and to construct a new fuel storage facility.
“We’re making major investments in the plant over the next few years,” said communications director Pete Resler. “These are changes that are being made in 30 plants across the country.”
The generators are necessary for the safety of the plant’s operations while the on-site fuel storage offers Diablo Canyon a secondary location to dump fuel if the national repository isn’t available. Turbines ensure the efficiency of its functions.
Construction of the storage unit was given the go-ahead in 2005 and the replacement of the steam generators was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission as the most financially beneficial move. While the plant has just replaced its low-pressure turbines and is completing the fuel storage facility, the generators must be replaced during refueling outages. The first will be done early next year and the second the year after.
Diablo Canyon had planned on investing in the safety and efficiency of the plant’s operations throughout the decade, marking the middle of its Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license of 40 years.
The plant is built around two nuclear reactors, each of which produce 1,100 megawatts of electricity, or 20 percent of the electricity used through PG&E in San Luis Obispo County. Supplying energy for more than 2 million homes, Diablo Canyon is one of the biggest generators in California.
Also, at 1.6 cents per kilowatt/hour (kWh), it’s cheaper than the average cost of electricity throughout the state, which is 3.6 cents per kWh. No air emissions are created during energy production as well.
More than 1,400 employees work at Diablo Canyon (1,000 is the average for two-reactor plants) while the economic activity it generates makes for more than 500 jobs. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, Diablo Canyon’s contribution to the San Luis Obispo County economy was more than $640 million in 2002, $723 million statewide.
The location of the plant is both a benefit and a concern. While the off-limits area has a great view of the Pacific Coast west of San Luis Obispo, many residents are somewhat leery about the plant’s proximity to their homes, despite its being surrounded by a buffer zone of 12,000 acres.
Diablo Canyon is known, however, for its safety record. Since commercial operation began in 1985, the plant has consistently earned high safety ratings from the NRC and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and was granted an NRC operating license at its start.
The plant is also strong enough to withstand the largest earthquake considered possible from the nearest earthquake fault; a fully staffed seismic department keeps the plant up-to-date to prevent accidents caused by earthquakes.
According to tour guide Ellie Ripley, visitors are only allowed inside the plant three times a year. Tours were restricted after Sept. 11, 2001 and are only provided through the Independent Safety Committee, which assesses the safety of Diablo Canyon operations and offers suggestions to improve enhance security.
The next tour will be offered Oct. 24.