Safety, Culture & Cleanliness at Diablo Canyon
The speakers:
John Shoals , raised in the Central Valley, graduated from Cal Poly, Mayor of City of Grover Beach, and works in the PG&E Government Relations office. Tom Jones , worked for Senator Jack O'Connell , worked for PG&E for nine years and is now the Director of Government Relations; is part of the company's "A" team and manages charitable organization contribution activities.The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is an electricity-generating nuclear power plant that uses two Westinghouse-designed 4-Loop pressurized-water nuclear reactors operated by Pacific Gas & Electric. The facility produces about 18,000 GW·h of electricity annually, supplying the electrical needs of more than 2.2 million people, or about 3 million homes. Diablo Canyon is designed to withstand an earthquake of 7.5 on the Richter scale from four faults, including the nearby San Andreas and Hosgri faults. Equipped with advanced seismic monitoring and safety systems, the plant is designed to shut down safely in the event of significant ground motion.
Twenty percent of the country's power is produced by these greenhouse-gas-free power plants; they are the cleanest utility and cheaper than natural gas.
The plant emphasizes safety, culture and cleanliness. It pays $24.5 million each year in property tax; $9.1 to the Five Cities area. Average salary of employees is $97,000 per year. The 1580 employees generate an income of $152 million and over three years, the plant spent $74 million to do business in the local area. Over all economic value to the Central Coast is about $42.5 billion each year.
Their license expires in 2024 and 2025 and it takes at least ten years lead time to get approval. The solar power plant anticipated in the Carrizo Plains is expected to be on line in about ten years after the myriad of approvals required. They currently are participating on a USA government blue ribbon committee to study the disposal of spent fuel rods. They do have limited tours and will work with the Club to arrange a tour in future.