California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

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The three California organizations that oversee electricity responded to a request by Gov. Gavin Newsom to explain why the state had two days of rolling blackouts on Aug. 14 and 15 and would have had more if not for statewide conservation efforts. "We agree that the power outages experienced by...

Lightning started most of the major wildfires now ravaging parts of California, but the fall season, when utility equipment tends to start fires, is coming fast. Regulators and reliability coordinators want utilities to be ready, especially with regard to public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) to prevent fires ignited by electrical...

CAISO’s proposal to develop new capacity products through its day-ahead market enhancements (DAME) initiative could radically transform California’s resource adequacy landscape while not yielding expected benefits, a key skeptic of the plan said last week. "I agree that in the vast majority of situations having a market price is an...

The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday opened a new proceeding to determine if investor-owned utilities should more rigorously assess risks from climate change and wildfires and evaluate the measures they employ to mitigate them. The commission’s Order Instituting Rulemaking (OIR) seeks to build on its prior risk-based programs, including...

California is moving quickly to adopt microgrids to store wind and solar energy and to provide electricity during public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) in wildfire season, but long-term energy storage and resilience remain problems, panelists said last week at a California Energy Commission workshop on "Assessing the Future Role for...

California Public Utilities Commission members on Thursday called FERC’s proposal to double its transmission incentive adder and make the bonuses easier to get "disgusting," "appalling" and enough to make "one’s blood boil." The commissioners made their comments before voting unanimously to authorize CPUC lawyers to file comments with FERC opposing...

The California Public Utilities Commission adopted measures Thursday to prepare for this year’s fire season by accelerating the deployment of microgrids and approving the wildfire prevention plans of investor-owned utilities. The commissioners also approved a controversial proposal to ensure the state’s community choice aggregators meet resource adequacy requirements through a...

The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved Pacific Gas and Electric’s Chapter 11 reorganization plan Thursday but warned it will now have regulatory mechanisms to end the utility’s century-old electric monopoly should it fail to ensure public safety. Part of the proposed decision approved by the CPUC provides for a...

The California Public Utilities Commission unexpectedly postponed its planned vote Thursday on Pacific Gas and Electric’s bankruptcy reorganization plan because a party to the proceedings improperly sent out a mass email earlier in the week. "This proposed decision is being held because a party sent an ex parte communication by...

The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved a settlement Thursday with Pacific Gas and Electric that imposes record penalties of more than $1.9 billion on the bankrupt utility for safety and maintenance lapses that led to massive wildfires in 2017 and 2018. But the unusual structure of the agreement left...