Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) is a safe, clean, reliable and vital energy resource for California.
All plant operations are overseen and monitored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
In September 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation seeking to extend operations at DCPP beyond its current license period.
Delivering for California hometowns
PG&E is proud to be part of the communities of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
The Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) sits on approximately 1,000 acres on the Pacific coast. It has operated safely since 1985. The DCPP contains two Westinghouse Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) units that are licensed until 2024 and 2025, respectively.
DCPP has continued to safely produce clean and reliable energy without greenhouse gases (GHG).
Built to withstand extreme natural disasters, including earthquakes, Diablo Canyon’s design features state-of-the-art seismic supports.
DCPP emits no GHGs during the production of electricity, while providing safe and reliable energy to millions of Californians. Diablo Canyon generates:
Diablo Canyon is located on one of the most scenic and habitat-rich coastlines in the country.
As part of our stewardship practices and commitment to the community, we provide hiking opportunities through two spectacular coastal trails on this land: the Pecho Coast and the Point Buchon trails.
Quick links
Fuel in both the wet and dry storage formats is stored in accordance with stringent requirements put into place by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
PG&E is scheduled to discontinue its power operations at Diablo Canyon upon the expiration of the Unit 1 and Unit 2 operating licenses, in November 2024 and August 2025, respectively.
However, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation in September 2022 seeking to extend operations at DCPP beyond its current license period.
Stay informed through the resources below. You may also contact PG&E with questions or input at diablodecommissioningquestions@pge.com.
The DCPP Decommissioning team is located in San Luis Obispo County. Contact the team by email at tom.jones@pge.com.
Maureen Zawalick
Vice President of Business and Technical Services
Brian Ketelsen
Director of Business and Technical Services
Tom Jones
Senior Director of Regulatory, Environmental and Repurposing
PG&E intends to begin active decommissioning of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) in 2025 and to complete the project in one decade. We are currently soliciting ideas for the future repurposing of the facilities and the repurposing or conservation of the lands. Download the PG&E Outreach Plan for Diablo Lands Conservation and Facilities Repurposing (PDF)
PG&E created the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel (DCDEP) in 2018 to foster open and frequent dialogue with the community on matters related to the DCPP deactivation. Panelists are community members from across the Central Coast who represent diverse viewpoints. Visit the DCDEP's independent website.
The Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel will review information and provide direct input on behalf of the local community to PG&E on Diablo Canyon Power Plant decommissioning plans and activities.
The Panel will help inform PG&E’s site-specific decommissioning plan on future land use and repurposing recommendations. The consideration of the plan will be the subject of an ongoing regulatory process that will begin with the filing of the Nuclear Decommissioning Cost Triennial Proceeding in December 2018 at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). PG&E plans, pending CPUC approval, to continue to engage with the panel and solicit input from the public on its plan during this multi-year review process.
The Panel's Strategic Vision is a stand-alone document that is available to the community, stakeholders and regulatory agencies to provide information about the decommissioning process and recommendations from the Panel that reflect the community’s wishes for what will occur before, during and after decommissioning. Read the Strategic Vision.
In 2016, PG&E announced plans to close Diablo Canyon at the expiration of its Nuclear Regulatory Commission operating licenses in 2024-2025. PG&E will focus on continued safe and reliable operations at Diablo Canyon, while also preparing decommissioning plans that consider community input and meet regulatory requirements.
Contact us
Public comment: Comment Form
Engagement Panel Facilitator: Chuck Anders at facilitator@diablocanyonpanel.org
General inquiries: engagementpanel@pge.com
Frequently asked questions
Get answers to frequently asked questions about the DCDEP
Public meetings provide the opportunity to learn about the various aspects of the decommissioning process and allow the Panel and the public to provide input to PG&E. During meeting times, you may watch the live stream.
Return to this page for the latest details as meetings are subject to change.
The panel is comprised of representatives from the local community who broadly reflect the diverse community stakeholder viewpoints in proximity to DCPP. A formation committee that included representatives from the local community assisted PG&E in the panel selection process. Panel members are listed below and you may also review panel members' profiles (PDF).
Access news releases regarding the Diablo Canyon decommissioning/relicensing, select resources from the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel and assorted regulatory documents.
Extensive scientific re-evaluations performed at the direction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) continue to show that Diablo Canyon can safely withstand earthquakes, tsunamis and flooding that could potentially occur in the region.
Safety is, and always will be, a core value for PG&E and the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. That's why seismic, tsunami and flooding safety was at the forefront in the design of the facility.
It's also why PG&E maintains a Long Term Seismic Program (LTSP) for Diablo Canyon. The LTSP is a unique program in the U.S. commercial nuclear power plant industry. It is comprised of a geosciences team of professionals who partner with independent seismic experts on an ongoing basis to evaluate regional geology and global seismic and tsunami events to ensure the facility remains safe. In September 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation seeking to extend operations at DCPP beyond its current license period to help ensure electricity reliability for all Californians. As part of this legislation, PG&E will conduct an updated seismic assessment and submit the results to the California Public Utilities Commission.
Because of the LTSP and decades of industry-leading research, the seismic region around Diablo Canyon is among the most studied and understood areas in the nation.
We are often asked if Diablo Canyon can withstand earthquakes. The answer is yes. To learn how, watch "Yes, Diablo Canyon Can Safely Withstand Earthquakes."
Watch DCPP's seismic safety video on YouTube
Download a transcript (PDF)
New and extensive scientific re-evaluations performed at the direction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) continue to show that Diablo Canyon can safely withstand earthquakes, tsunamis and flooding that could potentially occur in the region.
This updated seismic evaluation provides additional confirmation the plant is designed to withstand the ground motions, or shaking, from earthquakes. As recently as 2019, the NRC determined that no plant systems, structures, and components important to safety were in need of updating to protect against earthquakes.
PG&E's flooding hazard re-evaluation determined that the plant's key safety systems and components continue to be safe from tsunamis, including those generated from underwater landslides and earthquakes.
As part of its response to the Fukushima event in Japan in 2011, the NRC directed all U.S. commercial nuclear power plants to perform a reassessment of the potential seismic and flooding hazards to their facilities.
The seismic hazard analysis was performed using an NRC-mandated process known as the Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Committee, or SSHAC. Under the SSHAC process, existing and new seismic information was peer-reviewed and publicly evaluated by leading third-party, independent seismic experts.
The flooding hazard re-evaluation involved the use of the latest NRC guidance and methodologies and independent expertise to determine the maximum potential waves and rainfall that could impact Diablo Canyon. It also examined the plant's ability to withstand storm flooding.
The updated seismic assessment represents a more extensive evaluation of the seismic hazard than previously performed. Prior evaluations determined the ground shaking from an earthquake on a particular fault in the region, based on historical records and geological evidence, and then compared this information against structures, systems and components at the facility to ensure they could withstand seismic ground shaking.
Using the NRC's SSHAC process, independent seismic experts publicly re-evaluated existing and new seismic information, including data acquired during the advanced seismic studies recently performed near Diablo Canyon, to re-evaluate how earthquakes could potentially impact the facility.
This process included examining the probability of earthquakes occurring on individual and multiple geologic faults. The result is a more thorough assessment of the seismic hazard, providing additional confirmation that the plant is seismically safe.
PG&E's flooding and tsunami hazard update involved the use of the latest NRC guidance and methodologies to determine the maximum potential waves and rainfall that could impact Diablo Canyon.
The re-evaluation, utilizing independent expertise, determined that the plant's key safety systems and components continue to be safe from tsunamis, including those generated from underwater landslides and earthquakes.
The plant's design is also deemed appropriate to withstand expected storm flooding. In addition, measures were identified and implemented to address a rare, theoretical event of excessive rainfall and a quick build-up of water in some plant locations that greatly exceeds any known precipitation event recorded in the site's history.
For more information, download these reports:
Take one of PG&E's video tours of DCPP's facilities and the surrounding property.
Diablo Canyon virtual tour
How electricity is generated
Fuel cycle at Diablo Canyon
Be prepared for any emergency.
Your safety is our most important responsibility.