The California Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday conducted the first of eight evidentiary hearings on the request from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to close the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant within a decade.
The utility announced last June that it would not renew the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licenses for the plant’s two reactors when they expire in 2024 and 2025. PG&E said it wants to increase its use of other power sources that do not emit greenhouse gases.
The hearings are scheduled daily from 10 a.m. 4 p.m. through Friday and then again from Monday to Friday next week. They are being webcast here.
Testimony at the hearings is expected to inform the commission’s decision on the closure application.
Speakers are anticipated from PG&E, San Luis Obispo County, the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, Mothers for Peace, and other organizations, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.
