Diablo Canyon Power Plant begins moving fuel

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Diablo Canyon Power Plant begins moving fuel

PRESS RELEASE: PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC DIABLO CANYON POWER PLANT BEGINS MOVING USED FUEL TO ON-SITE STORAGE FACILITY

AVILA BEACH, Calif. - Pacific Gas and Electric Company's (PG&E) Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) began loading used nuclear fuel last night from its current storage pool into a newly constructed, on-site storage facility.

As existing fuel storage facilities at the nation's 65 nuclear power plants near capacity, about two-thirds of those sites now rely on above-ground, on-site storage as the preferred interim option. For decades, dry fuel storage sites throughout the U.S. have demonstrated that this storage method is safe and secure.

"PG&E customers rely on Diablo Canyon Power Plant for clean, reliable power and this project will ensure that we can continue generating greenhouse gas-free electricity," said Jim Becker, DCPP site vice president. "After years of careful planning, preparation and evaluation, we are ready to move forward with this loading project."

Eight containers of fuel will be moved over the next several months to the new interim facility, where they will be anchored to a seven and one-half foot thick concrete pad. Approved and licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, these robust containers undergo rigorous design and fabrication to ensure they can protect contents.

DCPP is a nuclear power plant owned and operated by PG&E. Its two units together produce approximately 2,300 net megawatts of greenhouse-gas-free electricity, about 10 percent of all electricity generated in California, and enough to meet the needs of over three million homes in central and northern California. Nuclear energy accounts for about 74 percent of U.S. carbon-free generation.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/about/.

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009