PG&E pledges net-zero emissions by 2040, will keep using gas
2 years, 7 months ago

PG&E pledges net-zero emissions by 2040, will keep using gas

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The nation’s largest utility on Wednesday outlined a multi-decade plan that aims to more rapidly reduce to zero its net greenhouse gas emissions while still using natural gas to produce power. Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan is to take as much carbon out of the air as it emits by 2040, five years earlier than the goal set by its home state of California and Southern California Edison, the state’s second-largest utility. Poppe said the company wants to make sure it can provide new, cleaner energy sources to customers at the “lowest cost possible.” The price per kilowatt hour that PG&E customers pay now is about 80% higher than the national average, according to a 2021 study by Next 10 and the Energy Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. __ This story has been corrected to say that PG&E’s 2040 net-zero goal means the utility would remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as it emits, not more carbon than it emits.

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History of this topic

PG&E bills will go up by more than $32 per month next year
1 year, 1 month ago

PG&E bills will go up by more than $32 per month next year

LA Times  

On Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a plan for PG&E to bury 1,230 miles of power lines to reduce the risk of starting wildfires. About 16 million people in California will see their electric and gas bills go up by an average of more than $32 per month over next year in part so that one of the …

PG&E bills will go up by more than $32 per month next year in part to pay for wildfire protections
1 year, 1 month ago

PG&E bills will go up by more than $32 per month next year in part to pay for wildfire protections

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — About 16 million people in California will see their electric and gas bills go up by an average of more than $32 per month over next year in part so that one of the nation’s largest utility companies can bury more of its power line s to reduce the chances of starting wildfires. But consumer advocacy groups …

PGE announces major clean energy storage project in Portland
1 year, 8 months ago

PGE announces major clean energy storage project in Portland

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This battery power during peak periods also helps avoid …

Editorial: California shouldn’t let power companies get their way on our electric bills
1 year, 8 months ago

Editorial: California shouldn’t let power companies get their way on our electric bills

LA Times  

What Californians pay on their electric bills is based almost entirely on how much power they consume, with maintenance, grid operation and other expenses built into the rates. But because energy use does not vary as much by income as you might think, it means that low-income customers end up spending more of their paychecks supporting the utilities’ infrastructure than …

Lawmakers approve $1.4-billion loan for PG&E to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open
2 years, 4 months ago

Lawmakers approve $1.4-billion loan for PG&E to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open

LA Times  

The Diablo Canyon nuclear plant is California’s single largest power source and generated 6% of the state’s electricity last year. That energy provides baseload and reliability and affordability that will complement and allow us to stack all of the green energy that we’re bringing online at record rates.” The governor added pressure to lawmakers, who he predicted would help California …

Review: The road to California’s energy disaster: A new history of PG&E paints a bleak picture
2 years, 4 months ago

Review: The road to California’s energy disaster: A new history of PG&E paints a bleak picture

LA Times  

The Camp Fire burns near Pulga, Calif., in 2018. Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Blunt, who uncovered PG&E’s culpability in the deadly blaze, documents the company’s history in a new book. Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Blunt tells us how the company got that way in “California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric — and What It Means …

California could lend PG&E $1.4 billion to save Diablo Canyon nuclear plant
2 years, 4 months ago

California could lend PG&E $1.4 billion to save Diablo Canyon nuclear plant

LA Times  

A last-minute proposal from Gov. When the Biden administration announced earlier this year that it would give out $6 billion in federal funds to help rescue nuclear plants facing closure, Newsom said California would be “remiss not to put that on the table as an option.” But it’s not yet clear whether PG&E will be eligible for the federal funds …

PG&E blamed for massive Northern California wildfire
3 years ago

PG&E blamed for massive Northern California wildfire

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pacific Gas & Electric power lines sparked last summer’s Dixie Fire in Northern California that swept through five counties and burned more than 1,300 homes and other buildings, state fire officials said Tuesday. It was the second-largest fire in state history and the latest of several of California’s largest and deadliest blazes to be blamed PG&E equipment …

Thousands of Californians could lose power to prevent wildfire
3 years, 4 months ago

Thousands of Californians could lose power to prevent wildfire

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thousands of Californias are likely to lose power amid a service shutdown to prevent a …

California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could help
4 years ago

California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could help

LA Times  

Sometime next summer, there’s a decent chance a heat wave will bake the American West, and California’s power grid will again be stretched to its limits. Subscribe Officials at the commission and the California Independent System Operator say they’re optimistic about so-called virtual power plants that string together hundreds or thousands of batteries, as well as “flexible demand” programs that …

Going Solar: My Year-Long Quest to Get Off the Grid
4 years, 1 month ago

Going Solar: My Year-Long Quest to Get Off the Grid

Wired  

Selling excess power is only part of what makes the economics of home-produced energy work, and it turns out it’s not a very big part. If I sold the entirety of the best day’s production of my home’s solar energy back to PG&E, I wouldn’t even earn a dollar. First is a federal investment tax credit, and while it once …

Californians face biggest power shut-offs this year on wildfire risk
4 years, 2 months ago

Californians face biggest power shut-offs this year on wildfire risk

Hindustan Times  

Californians are facing the largest mass blackout so far this year as the state’s biggest utility, PG&E Corp., prepares power shut-offs to prevent its equipment from igniting wildfires during ferocious winds. The company may pre-emptively cut power to 466,000 homes and businesses -- an estimated 1.4 million people -- across Northern California starting early Sunday, according to its website. PG&E …

PG&E to shut off power to over 1 million people in Northern California
4 years, 2 months ago

PG&E to shut off power to over 1 million people in Northern California

LA Times  

Pacific Gas & Electric says it will cut power to over 1 million people in Northern California on Sunday to prevent the chance of sparking wildfires as extreme fire weather returns to the region, the utility said late Friday. The nation’s largest utility said it will black out customers in 38 counties — including most of the Bay Area — …

PG&E trying a new tactic in power cuts to prevent wildfires
4 years, 4 months ago

PG&E trying a new tactic in power cuts to prevent wildfires

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — The nation’s largest utility said Tuesday it is executing smarter and shorter power shutoffs after receiving widespread criticism last year when it turned off electricity to 2 million people to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires. Quinlan said PG&E is so far hitting its target of reducing the outages by a third compared with last year, thanks …

PG&E emerges from bankruptcy
4 years, 6 months ago

PG&E emerges from bankruptcy

LA Times  

PG&E, which has emerged from bankruptcy nearly a year and a half after filing for protection under Chapter 11, plans to sell its downtown San Francisco headquarters and move to Oakland. “Our emergence from Chapter 11 marks just the beginning of PG&E’s next era — as a fundamentally improved company and the safe, reliable utility that our customers, communities and …

PG&E takes a big step toward emerging from bankrupty as regulators OK the utility’s overhaul
4 years, 7 months ago

PG&E takes a big step toward emerging from bankrupty as regulators OK the utility’s overhaul

LA Times  

A traffic cone sits next to a Pacific Gas & Electric truck. California regulators approved PG&E Corp.’s $58-billion reorganization plan, bringing the power giant another step closer to exiting the biggest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history. “PG&E is a recalcitrant criminal, and I’m going to do everything within my power to protect the people of California from further crimes and …

Editorial: It’s no government takeover of PG&E, but it’s still a possibility for the state’s most dangerous utility
4 years, 9 months ago

Editorial: It’s no government takeover of PG&E, but it’s still a possibility for the state’s most dangerous utility

LA Times  

It’s not the government takeover that many Californians were hoping for in light of the massive utility-sparked fires in recent years and the bungled “public safety power shutoffs” last fall. Gavin Newsom struck with Pacific Gas & Electric last week to let the state’s largest and most dangerous utility exit out of bankruptcy will bring some badly needed new oversight …

Californians want to end PG&E’s operations as they exist now, new poll says
5 years, 1 month ago

Californians want to end PG&E’s operations as they exist now, new poll says

LA Times  

California voters would like to see major changes at the utility, according to a statewide poll conducted for The Times. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times asked likely voters to choose the best path forward for PG&E, which filed for bankruptcy this year, citing the potential for $30 billion in liabilities from …

Utility hints at possible power outage in California
5 years, 1 month ago

Utility hints at possible power outage in California

India TV News  

The San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Company has said that strong winds could lead to another power outage in Northern California this week. PG&E said on Sunday that it was monitoring a potentially strong offshore wind event on November 20, which suggests a possible prevention measure of Public Safety Power Shutoff that will cut power supply for some customers …

Editorial: PG&E is California’s most troubled electric utility. Time for a government takeover?
5 years, 2 months ago

Editorial: PG&E is California’s most troubled electric utility. Time for a government takeover?

LA Times  

Time’s up for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. We’ve reached a point where public ownership of PG&E shouldn’t just be on the table, it should be actively explored by state and local officials. “Municipalization,” as it is called, has gained traction in northern California as the public’s simmering anger toward PG&E spiked with its wide-scale pre-emptive power shutoffs this month. …

California fires: State utility PG&E imposes another round of widespread blackouts; nearly 1.1 million people remain without electricity
5 years, 2 months ago

California fires: State utility PG&E imposes another round of widespread blackouts; nearly 1.1 million people remain without electricity

Firstpost  

Frustration and anger mounted across Northern California as the state’s biggest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, began another round of widespread blackouts aimed at preventing its electrical equipment from sparking wildfires in high winds. “Absolutely public safety above all else, but there’s a big financial loss for my profession, having to throw away a lot of hard work.” PG&E said …

The Hopelessness of Wildfire Season
5 years, 2 months ago

The Hopelessness of Wildfire Season

Slate  

Fires are roaring across California again. Officials haven’t determined the cause, but a jumper cable connecting PG&E equipment to a transmission tower near Kincade Road failed just minutes before officials say the fire began in the same location. Right now, PG&E would rather pull the plug on hundreds of thousands of people across large areas of the state for a …

California’s blackouts could make fighting climate change even harder
5 years, 2 months ago

California’s blackouts could make fighting climate change even harder

LA Times  

An art installation titled ‘Outlet-plug-cord’ by Basal Ganglia Studio is displayed on the side of a Pacific Gas & Electric substation in Petaluma, Calif., in July 2015. Southern California Gas Co. — which is engaged in a sweeping campaign to preserve the role of its pipelines in powering society — told the state’s Public Utilities Commission in August that communities …

PG&E customers could remain without power until Wednesday
5 years, 2 months ago

PG&E customers could remain without power until Wednesday

LA Times  

Pacific Gas & Electric expanded its power outages across Northern California to nearly 1 million customers, meaning well more than 2 million people are in the dark Sunday. Customers struggling without electrical power could remain in the dark until Wednesday, the utility said Sunday. PG&E said that as of noon Sunday it had shut down power to 940,000 customers, which …

PG&E executive admits errors in power outages as utility struggles to restore electricity
5 years, 3 months ago

PG&E executive admits errors in power outages as utility struggles to restore electricity

LA Times  

Shift supervisor James Quinn walks through a darkened CVS Pharmacy in downtown Sonoma on Wednesday after PG&E cut power to more than half a million customers in Northern California, hoping to prevent wildfires during dry, windy weather throughout the region. As Pacific Gas & Electric worked to restore power across Northern California, the utility’s chief executive admitted a flaw in …

PG&E power outages bring darkness, stress and debt to California’s poor and elderly
5 years, 3 months ago

PG&E power outages bring darkness, stress and debt to California’s poor and elderly

LA Times  

Michele Newton, left, and her daughter, Brenna Delwisch, have evacuated to a hotel at their own expense because Newton requires electricity to run a breathing machine at night. “PG&E has made a large assumption by utilizing their care database, but it is wildly inaccurate and doesn’t do the job to keep the most vulnerable in their service territory safe,” McGuire …

California’s huge, humiliating power outages expose the vulnerabilities of PG&E’s power grid
5 years, 3 months ago

California’s huge, humiliating power outages expose the vulnerabilities of PG&E’s power grid

LA Times  

Tom Hyde, left, buys a can of fuel for his Coleman camp stove from Kim Scheffer at a Village True Value Hardware store in Santa Rosa during the power outage. PHOTOS: Northern California deals with unprecedented power outages Utility operators historically built power grids — with massive electrical plants fired by fossil fuels and transmission lines that stretched for hundreds …

What Are Californians Supposed to Do?
5 years, 3 months ago

What Are Californians Supposed to Do?

Slate  

The news started trickling in Monday afternoon. Shutting off the power is PG&E’s attempt to avert disaster. It feels like the company doesn’t want to be blamed for another tragedy, so it’s just shutting the whole thing down. It also feels like the company doesn’t realize that real people are trying to live here—that this is not a solution, but …

Californians scramble to get supplies as the PG&E power cut off might affect 2 million people
5 years, 3 months ago

Californians scramble to get supplies as the PG&E power cut off might affect 2 million people

Daily Mail  

PG&E, California's biggest power utility, cut power for more than a million people on Wednesday in the largest effort in the state's history to prevent wildfire's caused by windblown power lines. PG&E shared maps outlining potential areas in California that could be affected, including parts of San Francisco, Redding and Sacramento California residents in potential cut off zones rushed to …

Millions of PG&E Customers Lose Power
5 years, 3 months ago

Millions of PG&E Customers Lose Power

NPR  

Millions of PG&E Customers Lose Power RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in northern and central California today. Lily Jamali is a host and correspondent at NPR's member station KQED in San Francisco, and she is following this story for us. And important to note that we are really at the peak of fire season …

A swift fall from political power for PG&E, California’s largest utility
5 years, 3 months ago

A swift fall from political power for PG&E, California’s largest utility

LA Times  

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has struggled to find friends at the state Capitol after years of massive wildfires and claims of mismanagement. “Many legislators thought it was one ask too many from PG&E this session, even if they agree with the policy,” said Steven Maviglio, a veteran Democratic strategist hired by the company’s shareholders to push the proposal this …

PG&E looks to cap wildfire costs at $18 billion through its bankruptcy plan
5 years, 4 months ago

PG&E looks to cap wildfire costs at $18 billion through its bankruptcy plan

LA Times  

The Paradise Inn goes up in flames on Nov. 9, 2018, during the Camp fire, which tore through Paradise, north of Sacramento. California utility giant PG&E Corp. is proposing to cap the wildfire liabilities that forced it into bankruptcy at about $18 billion — less than half of what victims and insurers have said they’re owed. PG&E’s plan kicks off …

California approves power outages to prevent more wildfires
5 years, 7 months ago

California approves power outages to prevent more wildfires

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California regulators on Thursday approved allowing utilities to cut off electricity to possibly hundreds of thousands of customers to avoid catastrophic wildfires like the one sparked by power lines last year that killed 85 people and largely destroyed the city of Paradise. “It’s scaring the hell out of me.” The precautionary outages could mean multiday blackouts for …

PG&E Could Shut Off Power For Millions To Prevent Wildfires
5 years, 11 months ago

PG&E Could Shut Off Power For Millions To Prevent Wildfires

NPR  

PG&E Could Shut Off Power For Millions To Prevent Wildfires Enlarge this image toggle caption Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images Pacific Gas & Electric could shut off power to more than 5 million customers when extreme weather conditions are ripe for wildfires to break out, the company said Wednesday. Sponsor Message The company told the state's public utilities commission …

Southern California Edison unveils plan to prevent wildfires
5 years, 11 months ago

Southern California Edison unveils plan to prevent wildfires

LA Times  

Ventura County firefighter Kyle Morrell douses flames in brush behind homes along Skelton Canyon Circle in the North Ranch area of Westlake Village on Nov. 9, 2018, as the Woolsey fire burned. California’s second-largest power company plans to cut down tens of thousands of trees in high-risk areas, inspect thousands of miles of power lines and consider the use of …

PG&E files for bankruptcy protection. Here’s why that could mean bigger electricity bills
5 years, 11 months ago

PG&E files for bankruptcy protection. Here’s why that could mean bigger electricity bills

LA Times  

PG&E Corp., which owns California’s largest electric utility, filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in anticipation of huge legal claims, starting an unpredictable process that could take years to resolve and is likely to result in higher energy bills for the millions of Californians who depend on Pacific Gas & Electric for power. PG&E’s bankruptcy could slow California’s fight against climate …

PG&E Says Federal Judge's Safety Plan Is Not Feasible And Too Expensive
5 years, 11 months ago

PG&E Says Federal Judge's Safety Plan Is Not Feasible And Too Expensive

NPR  

PG&E Says Federal Judge's Safety Plan Is Not Feasible And Too Expensive Enlarge this image toggle caption Noah Berger/AP Noah Berger/AP Attorneys for utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric say a federal court proposal to require the company to enact a major fire-prevention program could cost as much as $150 billion dollars and the removal of 100 million trees from …

Pacific Gas & Electric CEO quits following deadly California wildfires
5 years, 11 months ago

Pacific Gas & Electric CEO quits following deadly California wildfires

Daily Mail  

Geisha Williams, the first Latina CEO of a Fortune 500 company, steps down as PG&E faces possibly billions in liabilities and possible murder charges The CEO of Pacific Gas and Electric resigned Sunday and employees could learn this week if the utility will declare insolvency while facing billions of dollars in liability over its role in recent California wildfires. No …

Federal Judge Proposes Restrictions On Unsafe PG&E Power Lines
6 years ago

Federal Judge Proposes Restrictions On Unsafe PG&E Power Lines

NPR  

Federal Judge Proposes Restrictions On Unsafe PG&E Power Lines Enlarge this image toggle caption Mike Eliason/AP Mike Eliason/AP A federal judge in California dealt utility giant PG&E another setback Wednesday by proposing to restrict the beleaguered company from using unsafe power lines during the 2019 California fire season. U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, who is overseeing the …

State regulators consider breaking up PG&E over safety concerns
6 years ago

State regulators consider breaking up PG&E over safety concerns

LA Times  

California regulators said Friday they are considering splitting up Pacific Gas & Electric Co. or making other drastic changes amid concerns over the utility’s role in recent gas explosions and wildfires. Among the options under consideration by the California Public Utilities Commission are breaking up the utility’s natural gas and electric distribution and transmission divisions; replacing part or all of …

California utility’s role in wildfires under scrutiny
6 years ago

California utility’s role in wildfires under scrutiny

CNN  

CNN — As investigators seek to determine the cause of the deadliest wildfire in California history, the culprit that fire officials have linked to more than a dozen fires that ravaged large swaths of Northern California last year is again in the hot seat. Last year alone, PG&E equipment caused 17 fires, often after falling branches or trees came into …

After California fires, PG&E proposes raising electricity bills to bolster precautions
6 years ago

After California fires, PG&E proposes raising electricity bills to bolster precautions

CNN  

CNN — California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is asking for a rate hike of almost $2 billion from customers, saying more than half will go toward wildfire safety. In a proposal submitted Thursday to the California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E is asking for $1.1 billion in new revenue in 2020, including $576 million for the Community Wildfire Safety …

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