Diablo Canyon needs to spend up to $12B to stay open [View all]
Diablo Canyon faces state deadlines to change its cooling system
Published: November 2, 2013
This rendering shows what cooling towers might look like at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. COURTESY PHOTO
TRIBUNE SPECIAL REPORT: To extend the plant’s operating life, PG&E and regulators must find a way to halt or mitigate marine damage from its cooling system
By David Sneed — dsneed@thetribunenews.com
...Plant manager PG&E and state officials will decide soon whether the plant will spend up to $12 billion to change its cooling system, which damages the ocean ecosystem by killing fish larvae and discharging billions of gallons of unnaturally warm seawater.
Some options, such as building 600-foot-tall cooling towers, would permanently alter the landscape around Diablo Canyon and certainly face stiff local opposition.
PG&E has until the end of 2024 to make required changes to the plant, but on Monday a review committee will hold a public meeting in Sacramento to discuss the issue. Then in December, that committee will make its final recommendations to the state Water Resources Control Board.
PG&E says the cost of any required changes will be passed on to its customers.
What’s at stake?
Every day, Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant circulates 2.5 billion gallons of seawater...
Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/11/02/2763083/diablo-canyon-faces-deadlines.html#storylink=cpy
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