There's Growing Local Support for Extending Life of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant | KQED

"Advocates, like Mousharrafie from the student club, want to keep it open until 2045.  "We need to build huge amounts of clean power cause the climate crisis is a now issue," he said."

"Linda Seeley, who joined the movement shortly after moving to the Central Coast in 1982 said things are definitely different these days. "Nuclear is normalized now," she said."

"Ann Bisconti is a researcher who studies public opinion around nuclear energy. She said support has increased nationally since the 80s. "  There is lot more activism among those who are for nuclear energy.," she said. "What we always find is that people living within the 10 mile radius are very supportive of the local plant. They know people who work there. They go to church, they go to synagogue, they play baseball. ""

"Nuclear generates nearly 9% of the state's energy supply, part of an energy mix that includes gas, hydroelectric, solar, wind, geothermal and even small amounts of coal. While California's demand for electricity has been flat for years, it's now growing with the adoption of electric vehicles, people swapping gas appliances for electric ones, and data centers. The debate to keep Diablo Canyon open is spurred, in part, by this uptick in demand."

Diablo Canyon, California’s only active nuclear power plant, is located about a 20-minute drive from a classroom. Advocates and student activists want the plant kept open until 2045 to provide large amounts of clean power for addressing the climate crisis. Activist groups that opposed Diablo in the 1970s and 1980s say conditions are different now, with nuclear described as normalized. A researcher studying public opinion reports increased national support since the 1980s and strong local support within a 10-mile radius, where residents know plant workers and share community ties. Nuclear supplies nearly 9% of the state’s energy, and demand is rising due to electric vehicles, electrification of appliances, and data centers, motivating debate over extending Diablo’s operation.

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