California's last nuclear power plant has turned to AI to solve its big paperwork problem

California's Diablo Canyon Power Plant, the last operational nuclear facility in the state, is embracing artificial intelligence to tackle its extensive paperwork challenges. Originally slated for closure by 2025 due to environmental concerns, the plant's future was unexpectedly secured when Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law extending its operational timeline to October 2030. Faced with looming regulatory deadlines and a shrinking workforce, PG&E's senior vice president, Maureen Zawalick, recognized the potential of AI to streamline the plant's documentation processes. In January 2024, she connected with Trey Lauderdale, the CEO of Atomic Canyon, an AI startup focused on the nuclear sector. Drawing from his experience in the heavily regulated healthcare industry and his proximity to the plant, Lauderdale aimed to create an AI tool to reduce administrative burdens in nuclear operations. The outcome of this collaboration was Neutron, a pioneering generative AI tool developed specifically for Diablo Canyon. This innovative solution allows workers to efficiently access the vast array of legal documents required for plant operations. With billions of data points spread across multiple systems, Neutron consolidates information and connects directly to these databases, enabling staff to perform web-based searches to retrieve crucial data. Lauderdale’s team initially trained the AI model on 53 million pages of publicly available data from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In partnership with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, they utilized a supercomputer to refine the AI's understanding of nuclear terminology, aiming for superior performance compared to existing models like ChatGPT. As PG&E began piloting Neutron in early 2024, its impact was immediate. Employees from various teams were able to locate necessary documents in a fraction of the time previously required. For instance, a project that once took 180 days to gather documentation could now be accomplished in just 40 days with Neutron's assistance. By mid-2025, PG&E rolled out Neutron to all 1,300 employees at Diablo Canyon, accompanied by training sessions to maximize its utility. Zawalick is optimistic about the future, believing that tools like Neutron will not only enhance operational efficiency but also facilitate the construction of new renewable energy facilities to meet the growing energy demands in the U.S. The integration of AI at Diablo Canyon represents a significant step forward in modernizing the nuclear power industry, demonstrating how technology can help navigate complex regulatory landscapes.