California Public Utilities Commission Will Buy More Energy, Hike Rates to Prevent Power outage

California Public Utilities Commission Will Buy More Energy, Hike Rates to Prevent Power outage

California Public Utilities Commission - Utilities can be allowed to purchase further vitality and move on the prices to clients so as to keep away from a repeat of rolling blackouts that kicked in final summer time when demand outpaced provide, California regulators mentioned Thursday.

The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to authorize Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric Company to buy further energy within the subsequent three months.

“Customers deserve a reliable grid, and they deserve a regulatory body that will be mobilized to do everything in its power to ensure that we have one,” fee President Marybel Batjer mentioned.

Last yr, greater than 800,000 folks had been left at midnight throughout an intense warmth wave on Aug. 14 and Aug. 15 after the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's energy grid, ordered the primary widespread rolling blackouts in almost 20 years.

The state's three greatest utilities turned off energy with out prior warning for about an hour at a time till the emergency declaration ended. Gov. Gavin Newsom demanded an investigation after the outages.

A January report by vitality regulators blamed the blackouts on poor planning, an excessive warmth wave that blanketed the West, and vitality market practices that allowed desperately wanted energy to be exported out of state on the peak of the warmth wave.

Critics identified that the Public Utilities Commission has but to obviously say why the vitality shoppers had paid for was not obtainable final yr and what regulators will do to maintain utilities accountable.

“California shoppers are being requested to pay for one thing and the phrases of what they’re paying for are saved secret after which, when the contract isn’t fulfilled, any penalties assessed are saved secret as effectively. That appears to be basically unjust," mentioned Thomas Popik, president of the Foundation for Resilient Societies.

Others who spoke throughout public remark session mentioned they frightened the push to get extra energy capability by the summer time may lead the state to pay utilities to purchase extra fossil gas vitality when California is attempting to maneuver towards extra clear vitality sources.

“We really don’t envision long-term gas contracts resulting from this authorization, except perhaps in very narrow, unexpected circumstances,” mentioned Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen, addressing these issues.

The regulators additionally voted unanimously to require utilities to offer 72 hours of backup energy to landline telephone and web service throughout energy outages. The resolution follows an order by the Public Utilities Commission final yr requiring three days of backup energy at cell towers in emergency conditions, together with electrical energy shutoffs throughout hearth seasons.

One in each 5 911 calls continues to be made utilizing a landline phone, and landlines are sometimes concentrated in hard-to-reach rural areas, Rechtschaffen mentioned.

These areas “lack access to wireless services and are often the most vulnerable communities during emergencies. That underscores the importance of what we’re doing,” he mentioned.

Utilities have to verify hospitals, hearth and police departments and services that present service to wi-fi networks in wildfire-prone areas have entry to backup energy by October. The corporations may have 18 months to insure all different services in these areas have entry to energy throughout an emergency.

The Public Advocates Office, the impartial client advocate on the fee, applauded the regulators' resolution however raised issues the 18-months deadline might damage residential clients.

“Everyone should be able to rely on their phones and internet during power outages, regardless of where they live or what kind of phone technology they have,” mentioned Elizabeth Echols, director of the Public Advocates Office.