For its part, PG&E said for the first time that it would like to apply for some of the aid and change its 2016 decision to close the nuclear power plant on the coast of San Luis Obispo County.
Suzanne Hosn, a spokesperson for the company, in a June 21 statement said the company is willing to ask the DOE for money.
The U.S. Department of Energy is proposing changes to the rules for federal aid applicants to make room for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. This is part of a rush to keep the plant from closing.
On June 17, the DOE announced a proposed change to its criteria for applicants who want a piece of the $6 billion package for nuclear plants. This money comes from a new infrastructure law passed by the Biden administration.
This change, which is up for public comment until June 27, gets rid of a rule that said the nuclear plant applicant had to work in a competitive market and not get more than 50% of its costs back from regulated contracts or rates.
In a letter sent to the DOE on May 23 from the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, Newsom asked for that change to help Diablo Canyon, which pays for its costs through regulated rates and may not meet the criteria for a competitive marketplace. In April, Newsom told the Los Angeles Times that he was worried that closing Diablo as planned in 2024-2025 could cause blackouts and more greenhouse gas emissions in California. This caused a rush to change course.
In his letter to the DOE, Newsom said that the state is considering putting off for a while the planned closing of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. "The first award period for the Civil Nuclear Credit Program [the aid package] applies to Diablo Canyon Power Plant is a key part of the state's evaluation of an extension and its economic viability."
Newsom said that Diablo needs federal help to pay for the "significant" costs of switching from a planned shutdown to continuous operation, which is something for which "there is no existing cost recovery mechanism."
The U.S. Department of Energy is proposing changes to the rules for federal aid applicants to make room for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. This is part of a rush to keep the plant from closing.
On June 17, the DOE announced a proposed change to its criteria for applicants who want a piece of the $6 billion package for nuclear plants. This money comes from a new infrastructure law passed by the Biden administration.
This change, which is up for public comment until June 27, gets rid of a rule that said the nuclear plant applicant had to work in a competitive market and not get more than 50% of its costs back from regulated contracts or rates.
In a letter sent to the DOE on May 23 from the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, Newsom asked for that change to help Diablo Canyon, which pays for its costs through regulated rates and may not meet the criteria for a competitive marketplace. In April, Newsom told the Los Angeles Times that he was worried that closing Diablo as planned in 2024-2025 could cause blackouts and more greenhouse gas emissions in California. This caused a rush to change course.
In his letter to the DOE, Newsom said that the state is considering putting off for a while the planned closing of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. "The first award period for the Civil Nuclear Credit Program [the aid package] applies to Diablo Canyon Power Plant is a key part of the state's evaluation of an extension and its economic viability."
Newsom said that Diablo needs federal help to pay for the "significant" costs of switching from a planned shutdown to continuous operation, which is something for which "there is no existing cost recovery mechanism."
No comments:
Post a Comment