Most Californians share an interest in clean, sustainable energy for California and are probably pleased to see the expansion of wind and solar energy in California. Since 2001, California has almost completely eliminated coal-fired power plants, increased wind power from 1% to 5% of total generation and increased solar power from almost nothing to 11% of total generation. These are all climate achievements to be celebrated, but California will lose its single largest source of low-carbon electricity if residents do not act soon.
Nuclear power’s historical role in California
In 2011, San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) was shuttered permanently due to safety concerns, leaving Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant (Diablo Canyon) as the only remaining nuclear generating station in California. This prevented California from reducing its reliance on natural gas, and indeed contributed to California getting 40-41% of its electricity from natural gas in 2012-2015 (compared to 31% in 2011 and 38% in 2012).
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