The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) plans to award one billion dollars in federal funding to keep Central California’s aging Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in operation. An environmental group’s lawsuit to stop the award appears to be on shaky grounds.
     U.S. District Judge George Wu was appointed by George W. Bush. At a hearing Thursday in downtown Los Angeles, he expressed reservations about Friends of the Earth’s (FoE) standing to pursue the case.
     He noted that no ruling he could issue would change the fact that California wants the plant. The nuclear facility provides nine percent of the state’s electricity. There’s currently not enough renewable energy to meet the state’s climate goals.
     PG&E owns and operates the nuclear plant. California has already loaned one billion four hundred million on the condition the company would seek federal grant money to repay the state. If Judge Wu were to agree with the antinuclear group that the DoE is violating National Environmental Policy Act through an outdated environmental analysis, California may very well forgive the loan.
     The judge asked the attorneys for FoE, “It the money from California has already come and gone, on what basis do the plaintiffs have standing? If California and PG&E want to go forward, your client has no say.”
     The judge did not issue a final decision on the government’s request to dismiss the FoE lawsuit. But he did order PG&E to provide him with a declaration about the state funding it has received and about the terms of the loan.
     Founded in 1969 in part to oppose the construction of the nuclear plant on California’s Central Coast, FoE argues that the DoE’s January decision to fund Diablo Canyon went beyond the facility’s previously anticipated shutdown dates of 2024 and 2025. The FoE said that the federal government ignored the fact that a fifty-year-old environmental analysis used for the decision didn’t consider risks beyond those expiration dates.
     Even in the best of times, all nuclear reactors carry a risk that an accident will lead to a potential catastrophic radiation release according to FoE.
     The FoE said in its complaint, “Diablo Canyon presents an even riskier case, given a significant lack of maintenance or upgrades at the facility, recent seismic discoveries in the area, and the plant’s use of an [sic] outdated cooling mechanisms.”
     The DoE asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the FoE lacks standing. It said there is no favorable ruling that could redress the FoE’s purported injuries from the federal government’s award of the grant.
     Maggie Woodward is an attorney for the government. She told the judge, “California will allow the plant to operate,” even if the federal funding is withdrawn, “The information that we have shows that they’re not intending to reverse course on this.”
     While the plant has exceeded its original forty-year operating licenses, PG&E claims that it’s continually upgraded and undergoes regular inspections by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
     The California legislature passed a bill into law in 2022 that directed PG&E to take all “necessary and prudent” measures to extend the nuclear plant’s operations. The plant provides about seventeen percent of the state’s zero-carbon electricity supply. Officials say they should keep the plant running for another five years beyond 2025 to improve statewide energy reliability as California transitions away from oil and gas.

Friends of the Earth

     Laser Photonics Corporation (LPC) is a leading global developer of industrial laser systems for cleaning and other material processing applications. LPC announced today that it received an order from the Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) which is Nebraska’s largest single-unit generator providing clean and reliable electricity.
     LPC went on to say that “It is serving a growing number of clients in the nuclear energy sector, and is thrilled that Cooper Nuclear entrusted it to provide its team with innovative laser-powered equipment.
     John Armstrong is the Executive Vice President of Laser Photonics. He said, “Laser cleaning technology is rapidly gaining ground as a highly effective alternative to hazardous surface preparation methods.”
     In laser cleaning, a high-energy laser beam is used to ablate (break molecular bonds and vaporize) unwanted material, be it contaminants or coatings on a surface. The LPC technology can effectively remove corrosion, coatings, paint, and other substances without damaging the underlying substrate. This laser process is non-contact, controlled, and precise, allowing for the selective removal of unwanted layers. Laser cleaning is being widely adopted as professionals in various industries discover the benefits of this technology. Laser Photonics designs laser cleaning tools in-house. It offers its clients turnkey and custom-tailored solutions that replace outdated and harmful industrial cleaning processes.
     LPC’s CleanTech laser cleaning technology transforms surface preparation across numerous industries. It helps preserve vintage vehicles, maintain critical infrastructural elements, restore historical artifacts, recommission military equipment, and stop corrosive deterioration on boats.
     The CleanTech CR-3010 that was purchased by CNS, is a commercial-grade handheld continuous wave fiber laser machine for surface preparation. It effectively removes contaminants and coatings off a variety of surfaces during maintenance and production processes. It has demonstrated its capability to blast off radioactive particles along with unwanted material. Combined with a fume extractor, the system turns into an irreplaceable power tool for the regular maintenance of equipment and infrastructure.
     CNS is operated by the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). It plans to use the CleanTech CR-3010 for paint and rust removal in the pre-weld preparation of valves, pipes and steel plates.
     Laser ablation is an eco-friendly surface preparation method for businesses who want to reduce their ecological impact. It does not involve the use of hazardous consumables and generates minimal secondary waste. LPC technology continues to be adopted in the nuclear industry and others industries as companies worldwide advance toward their sustainability goals.
     Laser Photonics is a vertically integrated manufacturer and research and development center for industrial laser technologies and systems. Laser Photonics seeks to disrupt the forty-six billion dollars, centuries-old sand and abrasives blasting markets by focusing on surface cleaning, rust removal, corrosion control, de-painting and other laser-based industrial applications. Laser Photonics’ new generation of leading-edge laser blasting technologies and equipment also deals with the numerous health, safety, environmental and regulatory issues associated with the old methods. As a result, Laser Photonics has quickly gained a reputation as an industry leader in industrial laser systems. It is a brand that stands for quality, technology and product innovation. World-renowned and Fortune 500 manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, defense, energy, maritime, nuclear and space industries are using Laser Photonics’ “unique-to-industry” systems. For more information, visit Laser Photonics.