The Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel on Wednesday evening held a public meeting on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that the County of San Luis Obispo released regarding the Diablo Canyon Power Plant's decommissioning process.
The meeting was held at the San Luis Obispo County Government Center.
While PG&E is still in the process of renewing its license at the power plant, that's not guaranteed, so the company is also working on a path to close the facility.
The public was able to provide their comments directly to the county, which may influence what the county does moving forward.
“What we’re going to be doing is listening to the county present that, and the public has the opportunity to give their comments directly to the county about what they feel about this,” said Michael Lucas, Decommissioning Engagement Panel member. “That could sway some of the opinions about what the county may choose to do from here on.”
There are five volumes of environmental impact report drafts that are currently available to the public.
The meeting Wednesday discussed the timeline of the project.
The first phase is to decommission the power plant between 2024 through 2031.
The second phase follows up with the restoration of Diablo Canyon between 2032 to 2039.
“PG&E, just as we’ve been committed to safely operating the power plant, we are going to safely decommission the power plant and we’ll do so keeping our customers' interests in mind, our community’s interest in mind and working to do what’s best for the whole region,” said Suzanne Hosn, PG&E Marketing and Communications Manager.
The report also looks at other properties that could be involved in the decommissioning of the power plant such as the Pismo Beach Railyard and the Santa Maria Railyard Facility at Betteravia Industrial Park.
“For several years, the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Panel has existed to be a liaison between PG&E and the community at large because it's a massive project,” Hosn said. “It’ll be a massive undertaking to decommission the power plant, and so having those folks in the community who’ve really been taking the time to learn the material and walk through the process, they serve as such great liaisons between the community and the company.”
Members of the public will have an opportunity to voice their concerns at the next Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel at the San Luis Obispo County Government Center on September 5, 2023, at 9 a.m.
In the meantime, the draft EIR can be viewed online by clicking here. The public has until Sept. 24, 2023, at 5 p.m. to submit comments.
