Saline water conversion: Diablo Canyon nuclear powerplant.

The Cobey-Porter Saline Water Conversion Law required, by July 1, 2004, the Department of Water Resources to report to the Legislature on potential opportunities for the use of seawater and brackish water desalination in California. Existing law required the report to evaluate the impediments to the use of desalination technology and to examine what role, if any, the state should play in furthering the use of desalination in California. Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. The Diablo Canyon nuclear powerplant is operated by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in the County of San Luis Obispo. Existing law establishes the Public Utilities Commission Utilities Reimbursement Account and authorizes the commission to annually determine a fee to be paid by every public utility providing service directly to customers or subscribers and subject to the jurisdiction of the commission. This bill would require the commission, as part of the commission's regulatory actions related to the proposed decommissioning of the Diablo Canyon nuclear powerplant and consistent with the goal to mitigate negative impacts to ratepayers, to cause a study to be conducted on the feasibility of repurposing the water desalination facility at the Diablo Canyon nuclear powerplant for purposes of desalinating water for local use. The bill would require the commission to contract with an independent 3rd party to carry out the study on its behalf and would require the study to be conducted using moneys from the Public Utilities Commission Utilities Reimbursement Account.