Ever wondered what California’s last nuclear power plant looks like?
PG&Eshowed KQEDthe inside of California’s last such plant, once facing a 2022 closing but now open until at least 2030, on a recent press tour.
The power plant, Diablo Canyon Power Plant in San Luis Obispo, sits near the unusually-warm water of Diablo Cove. The outlet said the plant draws billions of gallons of water per day to cool the equipment, then discharging the water 16 to 17 degrees hotter.
Officials called the cove a “de facto marine sanctuary,” rife with sea otters, seals, stingrays, sea bass, and the Golden State fish, the garibaldi. The area constitutes a sanctuary because no fishing or other related activities are allowed within 2,000 yards of the plant.
But the California Coastal Commission said last year that the plant’s cooling system kills almost two billion larval fish annually, along with other organisms, the outlet reported.
The death of those fish can damage surrounding ecosystems, they said. “These planktonic organisms,” wrote the commission, “constitute the base of the food web in California’s coastal waters.”
KQED viewed a “protected area” close to the reactors like the turbine deck, which has gigantic turbines that generate electricity. The area is hot and loud, and very close to where uranium atoms are split for energy, generating a large amount of heat.
It’s also close to where the plant generates its key energy for Californians. The split atom’s heat warms water, which then releases steam that passes through the turbines and generates power.
The plant generates about 8.5% of California’s power.
The tour also involves a simulator, which helps employees train for catastrophic nuclear meltdowns. The area is a replica of the power plant’s control room. Simulators have been required for all nuclear power plants since 1979.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
