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Diablo Canyon receives partial Civil Nuclear Credit payment
Diablo Canyon in San Luis Obispo County, Calif. (Photo: PG&E)Pacific Gas and Electric has received a federal credit payment of $271 million from the Department of Energy under the DOE’s Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) Program, which was set up in 2022 as a $6 billion federal strategic investment to help preserve the existing U.S. nuclear reactor fleet. The Award Cycle 1 funds just disbursed cover extended operations for Diablo Canyon-1, with the DOE noting that Unit 2 will become eligible for a CNC payment after completion of the 2025 award year audit.9 percent of California’s power: The CNC funds for Unit 1 come after the April approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of 20-year operating license extensions for the two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors. Diablo Canyon-1 and -2, which entered commercial operation in 1985 and 1986, respectively, are now approved to operate until 2044 and 2045. The reactors generate a combined 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity every year, according to the California Energy Commission, representing approximately 9 percent of the state’s annual power generation.Diablo Canyon’s reactors had been scheduled for decommissioning in 2024 and 2025. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in 2022 which made it possible to extend their operating lifetimes until at least 2029 and 2030, and in December 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to extend the life of Diablo Canyon an additional five years. To continue operation after those years, additional state legislation is required.In 2022, the DOE determined that Diablo Canyon would be eligible for the CNC funding that it has only just received. PG&E is eligible to receive as much as $1.1 billion in DOE funding to support continued activities at Diablo Canyon. Those DOE funds could be used for such expenses as reactor component replacements, equipment upgrades, fuel procurement, and unforeseen costs associated with extended operations.CNC Program: The continued rel
Nuclear Newswire 4 days ago
FERC approves MISO cost recovery plan for transmission projects built in PJM
An article from Dive Brief In its decision affecting Exelon and Duke Energy utilities, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected calls to require the planned projects to go through a bidding process. Published Aug. 17, 2026 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Aug. 14, 2026, approved a cost allocation framework for transmission projects sought by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator but built in the PJM Interconnection’s footprint. Getty Images This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday approved a cost allocation framework for transmission projects sought by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator but built in the PJM Interconnection’s footprint. Under the approved framework, Exelon’s Commonwealth Edison is set to build one group of projects totaling about $904 million and Duke Ohio is slated to build $5.3 million in projects. FERC rejected calls for requiring the projects to undergo competitive solicitations. Two FERC commissioners said MISO’s proposal highlights the importance of interregional transmission. “In some cases, the most beneficial and cost-effective solutions for one region’s system needs may include transmission upgrades in another region’s footprint,” FERC commissioners Judy Chang and David Rosner said in a joint concurring statement. “The benefits that these facilities will deliver — which include improved reliability, reduced congestion costs, and more efficient resource integration — are inherently interregional in nature.” Dive Insight: MISO’s proposal and the related “cost recovery and funding” agreements grew out of the grid operator’s Tranche 2.1 plan that includes building a 765-kV backbone across its Midwest region. The plan was approved by MISO’s board in December 2024. The plan required transmission in PJM’s footprint. The Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition and Industrial Energy Consumers of America argued that
Utility Dive 4 days ago
Department of Energy Awards First Civil Nuclear Credit Payment to California Power Plant
Today, Pacific Gas and Electric received $271 million to ensure the ongoing operation of Diablo Canyon Power Plant, responsible for producing nearly 10 percent of the state’s total power generation. Office of Nuclear Energy August 14, 2026 Estimated Read Time min Energy Secretary Keeps Coal-Fired Generation Operational in the Midwest August 14, 2026 DOE’s REMADE Institute Awards $4.8 Million To Strengthen Materials Recovery and Recycling in American Manufacturing August 14, 2026
DOE Nuclear Energy August 13, 2026
A closer look at the initial NLIC selections—Part 1
Oklahoma: Along with every other state selected by the DOE for a possible life cycle campus, Oklahoma is a Nuclear Regulatory Commission Agreement State. However, it is also one of the 14 U.S. states that has never been home to a commercial nuclear power plant. The closest Oklahoma has come to having a nuclear power plant was Black Fox, a two-unit plant project that was ultimately canceled in 1982. The state was once home to an AGN-211-P university research reactor at the University of Oklahoma, which shut down in the 1980s.Beyond Black Fox and the AGN, there are two other historically relevant sites in Oklahoma that shed some light on its experience with the nuclear fuel cycle. Those are the Kerr-McGee Corporation’s Cimmaron site, an enriched uranium and mixed oxide fuel fabrication site, and the Sequoyah Fuels Corporation’s uranium conversion facility. The Cimmaron site was active from 1965 to 1975, and the SFC site was active from 1970 to 1992. Both sites are still undergoing decommissioning.While these facilities were shut down relatively long ago, Oklahoma is presently pursuing potential nuclear developments on several fronts. In 2025, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed S.B. 130 into law, directing the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to commission a nuclear generation feasibility study. The resulting study ultimately concluded that there were no technical barriers preventing the state from developing nuclear energy, though it also acknowledged potential challenges in the areas of economics, timelines, and public perception.At the end of last year, the Grand River Dam Authority—Oklahoma’s largest public electric utility—was one of four utilities to form the Great Plains New Nuclear Consortium. This new group is now investigating bringing new nuclear to Nebraska and Oklahoma.Aside from the legislature-directed feasibility study and the GRDA, the University of Oklahoma is working to develop its nuclear presence once again. Earlier this year, it became the home of one of the
Nuclear Newswire August 4, 2026
Solving for What’s Next: How to Earn Efficiency in Nuclear Licensing
Robert TaylorVice President, Regulatory Affairs and LicensingX-energy The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission completed an Environmental Assessment for X-energy’s first Construction Permit Application, concluding it’s environmental review ahead of schedule with a Finding of No Significant Impact. This might sound like regulatory jargon, but it is a genuinely historic milestone: this is the first time a commercial nuclear reactor in the United States has ever qualified for the Environmental Assessment pathway instead of requiring a multi-year Environmental Impact Statement. The pathway itself has existed for nearly 50 years. We’re the first commercial application to use it. So, how did we get here? And how does it help deploy advanced nuclear at scale? Here are some lessons I’ve learned from 25 years in nuclear licensing. You Have to Do the Work I’ve seen nuclear licensing from both sides of the table, and I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of what it takes to get a reactor licensed. Successful applicants do a lot of early engagement as the design is maturing. Developing a nuclear reactor takes work, and there’s plenty of time to get NRC agreement and approval on key concepts of your design. The early work isn’t flashy. It’s about the details. If you get those resolved with the NRC before you’re ready to submit an application, you have already derisked a project substantially. The good applicants take the time to do that. They work in parallel while they’re finalizing their design, and that gives them a leg up — because once you do submit your application, those details are resolved. NRC staff does not need to revisit them. X-energy started pre-application engagement in 2018, and since then submitted more than 30 technical documents to get that early alignment. Spending that time up front pays dividends substantially during the review process, and it enables the NRC to meet much more aggressive timelines. Here’s an example: Align on Process, Focus on Outcomes F
X-energy May 20, 2026

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