Nuclear

PG&E to deploy nuclear-specific AI at Diablo Canyon plant

Atomic Canyon’s Neutron Enterprise generative AI solution, built and running on NVIDIA’s full-stack AI platform, aims to simplify document retrieval and improve efficiency at Diablo Canyon.
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PG&E to deploy nuclear-specific AI at Diablo Canyon plant
(Diablo Canyon Power Plant)

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is deploying Atomic Canyon’s artificial intelligence-powered solutions for the nuclear energy sector at PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant, marking the inaugural commercial installation of the first on-site generative AI deployment at a U.S. generating facility.

The announcement was made at the PG&E Innovation Summit presented by DISTRIBUTECH. Atomic Canyon’s Neutron Enterprise generative AI solution, built and running on NVIDIA’s full-stack AI platform, is being deployed at Diablo Canyon for document search and retrieval processes. PG&E also says the AI technology will deliver cost savings and improved operational efficiency.

Federal and state regulations require utilities that operate nuclear power plants to manage “billions of pages” of technical documentation, PG&E said, which are spread across multiple systems. Power plant personnel must spend both time and resources to retrieve this essential data – something PG&E argues the AI will help avoid. Neutron Enterprise is meant to integrate with Diablo Canyon’s systems, using the latest optical character recognition (OCR), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and AI-powered search technology meant to cut search times from hours to seconds.

“Atomic Canyon’s AI solutions will enable faster data retrieval, boosting collaboration and ensuring continued safe, but more efficient operations. Accessing critical information in seconds will let us focus on what truly matters—delivering reliable clean energy safely and affordably,” said Maureen Zawalick, vice president of business and technical services at Diablo Canyon Power Plant.

The Neutron Enterprise solution is powered by Atomic Canyon’s FERMI family of AI models, developed in collaboration with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and specifically designed for the nuclear energy sector.

As California’s only remaining nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon provides nearly 9% of the state’s electricity and generates 17% of its zero-carbon energy. The California Energy Commission estimates that power demand across the state will rise roughly 43% in the next 15 years, which PG&E argues will make Diablo Canyon a more critical clean energy asset.

“This is about better leveraging the knowledge and talents of our highly trained and skilled team,” said a PG&E spokesperson in an email to Power Engineering. “By using these advanced, nuclear-aware AI models, Diablo Canyon is positioned to significantly enhance our data management capabilities, potentially setting a new standard for efficiency and timeliness.”

In the future, PG&E said it would augment the solution in additional areas, such as design, engineering and maintenance, and that this would be a phased approach.

The last few years have seen a debate about Diablo Canyon’s future.

In 2016, PG&E, environmental groups and plant worker unions reached an agreement to close the nuclear plant by 2025. But the Legislature voided the deal in 2022 at the urging of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said the power is needed to ward off blackouts as a changing climate stresses the energy system. That agreement for a longer run included a $1.4 billion forgivable state loan for PG&E, to be paid in several installments. California energy regulators voted to extend the plant’s operating run for five years, to 2030.

At the beginning of 2024, the Biden administration finalized approval of a $1.1 billion aid package, financial pillar in the plan to keep the Diablo Canyon Power Plant producing electricity to at least 2030.

The PG&E spokesperson did not answer how this announcement of using Atomic Canyon’s AI solution would affect Diablo Canyon’s future post-2030. In November 2023, PG&E filed a license renewal for the plant to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). NRC’s standard processes for license renewal – including its safety and environmental reviews – contemplate a 20-year renewed license term.

“The actual operating duration of DCPP will be controlled by the State legislative and regulatory processes,” the spokesperson said.  

This summer, the California Legislature signaled its intent to cancel a $400 million loan payment to help finance a longer lifespan for the state’s last nuclear power plant, exposing a rift with Gov. Newsom. However, the loan was eventually approved.

Construction at Diablo Canyon began in the 1960s.

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.

UPDATE: This article was updated to reflect that the $400 million loan payment to help finance a longer lifespan for Diablo Canyon was approved by the California Legislature.