Diablo Canyon was a Gen I/II design from the 1950's/60's. Gen IV designs are far safer and cleaner, Thorium designs in particular, however they don't generate byproducts for nuclear weapons (boohoo), which is why the Thorium pathway was not taken.

If electricity was cheap it would give people inducements to use electric vehicles and appliances. It would be a market driven transition to these things instead of a policy driven one, which is doomed to fail as soon as the subsidies end.