The Buzz
3 Dec 2020
The Diablo nuclear power plant’s Unit 2 shuts down just two days after it goes back online over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The $100 million rebuild of the electric generator part malfunctions for a third time. A watchdog wants to know the cause, who is on the hook for the repair and whether there will be heightened monitoring.
A little more than a day later, the California Public Utilities Commission approves Pacific Gas & Electric’s request for an additional $9 billion in revenue this year, and more the next two years. The increase in the revenue requirement will raise average home utility bills by $161 a year.
A quartet of Northern California cities significantly limit natural gas hookups in new construction. San Jose’s all electric residential and commercial construction rule leads the pack.
The California grid operator’s ever-expanding Energy Imbalance Market is quite the success story. But whether its expansion into the far larger day-ahead market follows its lead is uncertain, more so because of considerable competition.
Big Santa Anas lead to a second round of power outages in Southern California in less than a week. This week’s utility safety shutoffs follow shorter ones over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission general manager is charged with accepted bribes from a contractor seeking to land a big deal for swapping in LED lights across the City by the Bay. Harlan Kelly resigns the same day that federal prosecutors announce the allegations.
And more….
—The Editors
