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The life of California’s only nuclear power plant has gotten a two-decade extension from the federal government (POLITICO Pro , subscription).

What’s going on: “Federal officials [last] Thursday approved a 20-year extension” of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, which had been scheduled for retirement last year after more than four decades of service.

• The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission greenlit operator Pacific Gas & Electric’s renewal application through 2045.

Yes, but … To remain open another 20 years, Diablo Canyon must also get permission from California, which has only authorized operations for the next four years.

Good precedent: Last December , the California Coastal Commission voted to OK PG&E’s state and federal permits for Diablo Canyon. 

• Those approvals came after the commission and PG&E reached a conservation deal to create trails on up to 6,700 acres of the 12,000-acre Diablo Canyon property.

The NAM’s take: “The NRC’s approval of a 20-year extension for Diablo Canyon is good news for manufacturers and residents of California,” said NAM Senior Director of Energy and Resources Policy Michael Davin.

• “Nuclear energy is safe, clean and abundant, and it will remain a critical source that is needed to meet America’s energy demand, now and into the future.”