By Hudson Sangree The California Public Utilities Commission has established two building decarbonization pilot programs to jump start the state’s electrification of residential structures, devoting $200 million toward the effort. The Building Initiative for Low-emissions Development (BUILD) program and the Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH) initiative were created...

By Hudson Sangree The California Public Utilities Commission approved historic increases in the state’s clean energy targets Thursday, calling for almost 25 GW of renewable energy and storage by 2030 at an estimated cost of $45 billion (16-02-007). The CPUC’s new reference system portfolio (RSP) targets adding 11 GW of...

By Hudson Sangree FERC said Tuesday it won’t rehear a case on whether Pacific Gas and Electric deserves a $30 million annual incentive adder for staying in CAISO (ER14-2529-006, ER15-2294-005, ER16-2320-005). The commission first decided the hotly contested case in August 2018 and reaffirmed its decision in July after the...

By Hudson Sangree The bankruptcy of Pacific Gas and Electric could reach another milestone this week as the utility tries to explain its Chapter 11 reorganization proposal in plain English to fire victims and other affected parties. That reorganization plan is now estimated to cost almost $60 billion, according to...

By Hudson Sangree SAN FRANCISCO — The former president of the California Public Utilities Commission told a gathering of energy lawyers Friday that common assumptions about the future of renewable energy and electrification need to be re-examined. Michael Picker, who left the commission in summer 2019, was replaced by Marybel...

By Hudson Sangree The president of the California Public Utilities Commission called late Tuesday for escalating oversight and enforcement actions against Pacific Gas and Electric and said receivership may be necessary if the company can’t provide safe service once it exits bankruptcy. "The receiver, if appointed by the superior court,...

By Hudson Sangree Pacific Gas and Electric reported multibillion-dollar losses in its quarterly and annual reports Tuesday but said in a separate five-year forecast that it expects sustainable financial performance after it emerges from Chapter 11 reorganization. "Our focus now is on working with all key stakeholders, including elected officials...

By Hudson Sangree The countdown is on for Pacific Gas and Electric’s exit from bankruptcy, which all parties agree needs to happen by the end of June so the utility can participate in a state insurance fund to protect it from future wildfire liabilities, a key to its financial stability.

By Hudson Sangree The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday unanimously denied PacifiCorp’s requested annual revenue requirement, rebuking the company for asking to cover the accelerated depreciation of out-of-state coal plants it hasn’t yet committed to close. The commission approved a revenue requirement of $72 million — $6.6 million less...

By Hudson Sangree Members of the California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday met in Bakersfield, a stronghold of conservative interior California, and heard a much different kind of public comment than they’re used to in San Francisco. Bakersfield is the county seat of Kern County, a hub of oil and...