World Reconsiders Nuclear
Before this year, the fate of Diablo Canyon, California’s last remaining nuclear plant, seemed sealed: the plant would retire in 2025, thanks to competition from other energy sources, expensive repairs, and concerns about its location. But at the beginning of September, legislators voted to extend a lifeline to the plant, which provided 9% of California’s electricity in 2021, allowing it to close in 2030.
California isn’t alone in giving nuclear another shot. Amid the energy crisis and a resurgence of popular support for nuclear energy, governments from Germany to Japan this year reconsidered closure dates for their existing plants, while the Biden administration made $6 billion available to help bail out the nation’s struggling plants. And momentum and investment are also building for advanced nuclear technologies.
