August 9, 2022 – Multiple California Agriculture groups have expressed support to Governor Newsom’s office and various commissions to keep the Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) open beyond 2025 in order to explore the option of utilizing the plant to provide fresh water from desalination.
It is no secret California agriculture is under extreme pressure due to the lack of water. According to the California Farm Bureau, more than 500,000 acres of croplands were followed in 2021 due to water shortage. It is expected that the 2021 economic impacts caused by drought are set to exceed 2.5 billion dollars.
Numerous California Agriculture organizations acknowledge that creative solutions must be considered in order to maintain the viability of California farms, the jobs of thousands of farmworkers, and the tax revenues for the communities that depend on the agriculture industry to help fund schools and local governments.
According to a November 2021 energy study published by Stanford and MIT, extending the life of DCPP provides an opportunity to utilize existing infrastructure to develop a large-scale source of fresh water which could significantly contribute to solving the water crisis at half the cost of the currently proposed alternatives while utilizing carbon-free power generation. If DCPP’s power was used to desalinate water, it could produce up to 4.5 million acre-feet of fresh water per year, offsetting current shortfalls.
“Using Diablo Canyon as a power source for desalination could substantially augment fresh water supplies to the state as a whole and to critically over-drafted basins regions such as the Central Valley, producing fresh water volumes equal to or substantially exceeding those of the proposed Delta Conveyance Project—but at significantly lower investment cost,” the study stated.
The timeliness of the letter is difficult to overstate. In recent weeks, PG&E CEO Patti Poppe emphasized that due to the complexity of the permitting and relicensing process, legislative action was needed in August to guarantee the plant’s continued operation.
The listed agriculture organizations represent several commodities traders and farmers across California who recently penned a letter of support for keeping DCPP open to Governor Newsom and his administration to help supply farmers with the water required to continue growing produce for California and the world.
“The below organizations request that the Governor do everything he can to keep Diablo Canyon open beyond its end date of 2025, in order to desalinate water and keep California agriculture a profitable and viable industry,” signed by the following organizations:
- Will Scott, Jr., President, African American Farmers of California
- Todd Sanders, Executive Director, California Apple Commission, California Blueberry Commission, Olive Growers Council of California, California Blueberry Association
- Chris Zanobini, Executive Director, Plant California Alliance
- Ian Lemay, President, California Fresh Fruit Association
- Manuel Cunha, Jr., President, Nisei Farmers League
- Joani Woelfel, President & CEO, Far West Equipment Dealers Association
- Jill Damskey, Associate Director, Sweet Potato Council of California
- Michael Miller, Director of Government Relations, California Association of Winegrape Growers California Agriculture Groups
Support Diablo Canyon Power Plant for Desalination Use
Numerous California agriculture organizations recently penned a letter of support for keeping Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) open to Governor Newsom for its potential to produce desalinated water at more affordable rates than other projects. According to a recent energy study published by Stanford and MIT scientists, if DCPP’s power was used
to desalinate water, it could produce up to 4.5 million acre-feet of fresh water per year, offsetting current shortfalls.
For more information, as well as a full copy of the letter and photos/logos for publication, please contact Generation Atomic’s Executive Director Eric Meyer at eric@generationatomic.org
