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Advisory committee finds no extensions needed yet for California once-through cooling policy, but flags grid risks
Summary
The State Water Board’s SACWIS reported June 17 that 12 of 19 coastal power plants are in full compliance with the once-through cooling (OTC) policy, with seven on track; SACWIS recommended no compliance extensions but warned of risks from extreme weather, import reductions and project delays.
The State Water Resources Control Board received an informational presentation June 17 on the 2025 report of the Statewide Advisory Committee on Cooling Water Intake Structures (SACWIS), which monitors compliance with the OTC policy and the implications for grid reliability as coastal power plants retire or convert cooling systems.
SACWIS members told the board the committee is not recommending extensions of OTC compliance deadlines at this time. "The final SACWIS report does not recommend any compliance state extensions," said Jonathan Dolan, environmental scientist in the Ocean Standards Unit, summarizing the advisory panel’s March 21 work.
Why it matters: the OTC policy requires coastal power plants to stop using once-through cooling to protect marine life. As plants retire or retrofit, grid planners and operators have tracked reliability risk and contingency needs.…
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