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Data for 2010 | Release Date: April 26, 2012 | Next Release: February 2013 | full report

California Nuclear Profile 2010 California profile

California total electric power industry, summer capacity and net generation, by energy source, 2010
Primary energy source	Summer capacity (mw)	Share of State total (percent)	Net generation (thousand mwh)	Share of State total (percent)
Nuclear	4,390	6.5	32,201	15.8
Coal	374	0.6	2,100	1.0
Hydro and Pumped Storage	13,954	20.7	33,260	16.3
Natural Gas	41,370	61.4	107,522	52.7
Other ¹	220	0.3	2,534	1.2
Other Renewable¹	6,319	9.4	25,450	12.5
Petroleum	701	1.0	1,059	0.5
Total	63,328	100.0	204,126	100.0
¹Municipal Solid Waste net generation is allocated according to the biogenic and non-biogenic components of the fuel; however, all Municipal Solid Waste summer capacity is classified as Renewable. Notes: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Other: Blast furnace gas, propane gas, other manufactured and waste gases derived from fossil fuels, non-biogenic municipal solid waste, batteries, chemicals, hydrogen, pitch, purchased steam, sulfur, tire-derived fuel, and miscellaneous technologies. Other Renewable: Wood, black liquor, other wood waste, biogenic municipal solid waste, landfill gas, sludge waste, agriculture byproducts, other biomass, geothermal, solar thermal, photovoltaic energy, and wind. Sources: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report."

California nuclear power plants, summer capacity and net generation, 2010
Plant name/total reactors	Summer capacity (mw)	Net generation (thousand mwh)	Share of State nuclear net generation (percent)	Owner
Diablo Canyon Unit 1, Unit 2	2,240	18,430	57.2	Pacific Gas & Electric Co
San Onofre Unit 2, Unit 3	2,150	13,771	42.8	Southern California Edison Co
2 Plants 4 Reactors	4,390	32,201	100.0
Note: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Source: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report."

Plants in State

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant
Unit	Summer capacity (mw)	Net generation (thousand mwh)	Summer cpacity factor (percent)	Type	Commercial operation date	License expiration date
1	1,122	8,677	88.3	PWR	5/7/1985	11/2/2024
2	1,118	9,752	99.6	PWR	3/13/1986	8/20/2025
	2,240	18,430	93.9
Data for 2010 PWR = Pressurized Light Water Reactor. Note: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Source: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report."

Operator: Pacific Gas & Electric Company

Location and Service Territory: The Diablo Canyon plant is on a 750-acre site in San Luis Obispo County, California.

Construction Cost: $11.556 billion (2007 USD)²

Staffing: 1,200 employees

Reactor Descriptions: Both units at Diablo Canyon are Westinghouse four-loop pressurized water reactors.

Cooling System: Diablo Canyon is cooled using a once-through system that draws water from the Pacific Ocean.

San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant
Unit	Summer capacity (mw)	Net generation (thousand mwh)	Summer capacity factor (percent)	Type	Commercial operation date	License expiration date
2	1,070	5,664	60.4	PWR	8/8/1983	2/16/2022
3	1,080	9,835	104.0	PWR	4/1/1984	11/15/2022
	2,150	15,499	82.3
Data for 2010 PWR = Pressurized Light Water Reactor. Note: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Source: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report."

Operator: Southern California Edison Company

Location and Service Territory: This 84-acre site is near San Clemente, California, in San Diego County.

Construction Cost: Units 2 and 3 cost $8.968 billion (2007 USD)²

Staffing: San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, better known to locals by its acronym (SONGS), has more than 2,000 employees.

Reactor Descriptions: San Onofre houses two Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactors. Each reactor has two steam generating loops.

Cooling System: San Onofre relies on a unique cooling system that uses a 3,000-foot pipe to draw water from the Pacific Ocean. A ‘velocity cap’ diverts fish from the intake. Water is dispersed from 1,500-foot pipes through hundreds of openings, thereby helping maintain a temperature that varies by only a couple of degrees from that of the ocean.

²Nuclear Power Plant Construction Activity, DOE/EIA-0473(86), Energy Information Administration, 1986, pp 16-17, Table 5. Adjusted to 2007 Dollars using Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index.