SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The parties to the Diablo Canyon joint proposal agreement, including
PG&E, labor, government, community and leading environmental groups,
issued a joint statement today applauding Governor Brown’s signing of
Senate Bill (SB) 1090, a law that implements the key remaining
objectives of the Diablo Canyon joint proposal agreement.
The parties include PG&E, International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers Local 1245, Coalition of California Utility Employees, Friends
of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environment California,
California Energy Efficiency Industry Council, Alliance for Nuclear
Responsibility, the County of San Luis Obispo, the Coalition of Cities
(Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach and San
Luis Obispo) and the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
“The Diablo Canyon joint proposal represented a significant milestone in
the planning to help meet California’s bold clean energy vision. This
unique approach with a diverse set of stakeholders tackled a complex
issue in a collaborative and successful way that will result in the
orderly transition and retirement of Diablo Canyon Power Plant. More
specifically, it will help protect local communities, support employees
and ensure that other carbon free resources will replace the output of
Diablo Canyon. We collectively thank the Governor and the legislature
for their wisdom in enacting this legislation, which is truly in the
public’s best interest. We are all very pleased to see that the
remaining goals of this historic agreement and transition strategy will
be enacted.”
The new law, authored by Senator Bill Monning and Assemblyman Jordan
Cunningham, was approved by both houses of the California State
legislature this year with bipartisan support. More specifically, SB
1090:
-
Requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to approve
a community impact mitigation settlement of $85 million;
-
Directs the CPUC to manage its integrated resource plan to ensure that
there is no increase in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the
retirement of DCPP; and,
-
Requires the CPUC to approve full funding for a DCPP employee
retention program.
About the Joint Proposal
California’s energy landscape is changing dramatically. State policies
that focus on renewables and energy efficiency, coupled with projected
lower customer electricity demand in the future, will result in a
significant reduction in the need for the electricity produced by DCPP
past 2025.
Reflecting this change, PG&E partnered with labor and leading
environmental organizations in 2016 on a joint proposal that would
increase investment in energy efficiency and renewables while retiring
DCPP at the end of its current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
operating licenses, which expire in 2024 and 2025.
Recognizing that the procurement, construction and implementation of a
greenhouse gas-free portfolio of energy efficiency and renewables would
take time, the joint parties agreed to support PG&E in obtaining the
state approvals needed to operate DCPP to the expiration of its current
NRC operating licenses.
The parties agreed to use the remaining time under the current operating
licenses to work to mitigate associated negative economic and social
impacts, including replacing the plant’s output with greenhouse gas-free
resources.
The joint proposal included a DCPP employee retention program to ensure
a well-trained staff is in place to safely run the plant through 2025. A
community impact mitigation program to help the local community
transition to a post-DCPP economy was also proposed.
The CPUC authorized several elements of the joint proposal on January
11, 2018, including approval to cease plant operations once the NRC
operating licenses expire. The CPUC also expressed its intention to
avoid any increase in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the
closure of DCPP.
Full funding of the employee retention program was not approved as part
of the CPUC’s decision. It also expressed that legislative authorization
would be needed to approve the community impact mitigation program. SB
1090 was introduced in the legislature to meet these key remaining goals
of the joint proposal.
View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180920005994/en/
PG&E
Blair Jones, 415-973-5930
Source: PG&E