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The fate of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant will remain in limbo for the rest of the year — after Gov. Gavin Newsom said he won’t act to extend its operating life during the final months of his term.
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued PG&E an operating license for the plant that expires in 2044 for Unit 1 and 2045 for Unit 2, but the state has only approved operation of the plant’s twin reactors through 2029 and 2030.
The Legislature still needs to pass a law to extend operations beyond 2030 in order for PG&E to use the entirety of its new license.
No such bill had been proposed as of Monday, and even if it was, Newsom said he doesn’t plan to take action to extend state approval for the power plant to run past 2030. Instead, he’ll let the next governor make that decision, POLITICO first reported.
“That will be the baton that I pass on to the next administration,” Newsom said at a press conference on Friday.
Meanwhile, PG&E continued to advocate for extending the power plant’s life as soon as possible.
“Extending Diablo Canyon beyond 2030 this legislative session will immediately save electric customers $1.7 billion in unnecessary costs to build new power plants by 2032 as required by the California Public Utility Commission’s recent 6,000-megawatt procurement order,” PG&E’s said in a statement.
“These savings are reflected in the support of groups including other investor-owned utilities, publicly owned utilities, community choice aggregators and environmental groups,” the utility added. “We stand ready to support the state’s reliability and clean energy goals.”
San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg agreed. Last week, she signed a letter with more than 50 other elected officials urging the state Legislature to extend the plant’s life.
“California families are already challenged with affordability, and at the same time we’re facing a growing need for clean, reliable energy,” she said in a statement on Monday. “Diablo Canyon is part of the solution — for California’s energy needs and for the planet.
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“We need Sacramento to start delivering for real people,” she continued. “Get Diablo Canyon done, keep the energy we already have, and then let’s move on to the other solutions California needs.”
San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson, however, applauded Newsom’s move.
“I think the governor’s decision is a good one for SLO County,” he told The Tribune. “Now we have time to work thoughtfully with the Legislature to resolve the many issues that need attention before any decision to extend the plant’s operation beyond 2030 is made.”
Before a that decision is made, Gibson would like to see peer-reviewed studies about the plant’s seismic hazards and embrittlement of the reactor vessels, as well as final decisions about land conservation, spent fuel storage, the unitary tax that funds local school districts and emergency preparedness.
“While Diablo Canyon has many benefits to the state as a whole because of carbon-free electricity, all the risks that there are — all of them — land on SLO County,” Gibson said.
State Sen. John Laird said he wasn’t surprised by Newsom’s decision, and he echoed Gibson’s sentiment that more work needs to be done before the plant gets permission to run longer than 2030.
Laird said the state and PG&E must resolve “repayment of the remaining state loan with an expected unpaid balance of approximately $650 million, seismic and reactor safety, spent nuclear fuel storage, and continued revenues to local government and schools,” he said in a statement.
“With three weeks remaining in the legislative session, more than 1,000 bills still moving, and critical issues such as wildfire liability requiring attention, there simply is not enough time for the Legislature to thoughtfully address the many important questions surrounding Diablo Canyon’s future,” Laird said in a statement. “I look forward to having the opportunity in 2027, over a full nine-month legislative session, to thoughtfully consider Diablo Canyon’s future and ensure that the community is protected during any additional years of operation.”
This story was originally published August 10, 2026 at 4:41 PM with the headline “Gov. Newsom won’t extend life of CA’s only nuclear power plant. What that means.”
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