Diablo Canyon

Nuclear power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 35.2115, -120.8555.

NuclearCaliforniaUnited States of America

Diablo Canyon is a 2,323 MW nuclear power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.. Based on reported annual generation of 16,165 GWh, it can supply roughly 4,618,685 homes. It ranks #55 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 17.4% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

2,323MW installed capacity
16,165GWh reported / yr
4,618,685homes powered
1985commissioned (~41 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006099.

Reported generation trend

2013: 18,012 GWh20132014: 16,986 GWh20142015: 18,505 GWh20152016: 18,908 GWh20162017: 17,901 GWh20172018: 18,214 GWh20182019: 16,165 GWh201919k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.4°Cannual mean temp
1,325heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
73 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 12 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 16 °CON: 14 °CND: 12 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 46% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 31/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #18 largest nuclear power plant of 58 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 58 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 104,233 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 35.2115, -120.8555 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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