CA Current

Amid hurricanes, floods, fires, cyber threats, and a changing power generation resource mix, concerns are rising in Washington about the ability of the nation’s power industry to restore the grid after widespread blackouts. “The question we have to be able to answer,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the U.S. Senate Energy & Natural […]

Pacific Gas & Electric notifies investors and lenders that it is taking a $2.5 billion loss in the second quarter as a result of mounting wildfire liability, with the worst potentially yet ahead. Meanwhile, a legislative committee in Sacramento advances a bill that may ease utility liability for wildfires. The California Public Utilities Commission sets […]

A bill to carve out a utility procurement mandate for biomass, biogas, and geothermal power made it through an Assembly Committee April 23, but only after specific numeric requirements were axed and replaced with vague placeholder language. AB 2208 by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), who represents the Geysers geothermal resource area, said her bill “will […]

As the California Independent System Operator works to create a regional western electricity market with a centrally-operated power transmission grid, one of the major issues is how the cost of new and existing transmission projects will be allocated to participating utilities and their customers. Some critics of grid regionalization worry that California will wind up […]

Nov. 1: California Public Utilities Commission workshop on regionalization to hear from stakeholders and members of the public re: options for locating additional facilities in areas of California, such as Sacramento, which would allow the CPUC to collaborate with other agencies. More information and agenda.   Time: 9:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. Place: CPUC Auditorium, […]

A power sales contract between the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and a Utah power agency to replace coal-fired power with gas-fired electricity, along with more than $3 million in loans and grants, were approved by the California Energy Commission during its Oct. 19 business meeting. (more…)

Oct. 24: A workshop will be held to receive public comments on the California Energy Commission’s Draft 2016 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) Update. More information. Draft 2016 IEPR Update (320-page PDF). (more…)

  After a five year-long $120 million pilot test project, half of which was funded by the Department of Energy, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power is preparing to install smart power and water meters at all its customers’ premises. (more…)

The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power has completed the Barren Ridge Renewable Transmission project. The project is 62-mile line that will bring it 1,000 MW of solar and wind power from the Mojave Desert and Tehachapi Mountains.

The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power is planning to test the waters with a novel community solar program in the coming year. It is going to use two different approaches, one entailing placing photovoltaics on rented roofs and the other offering community solar shares. (more…)

A Sept. 6 committee hearing on a Los Angeles Department of Water & Power appeal of a California Energy Commission decision to reject some of the muni’s Renewable Portfolio Standard applications ordered both parties to confer and file a joint statement of stipulated facts no later than Oct. 5. The CEC panel also ordered each […]

Behind closed doors, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power this week argued that the California Energy Commission should reconsider its rejection of muni Renewable Portfolio Standard applications. At issue is how the commission should treat biomethane under the standard. (more…)

Aug. 2: LADWP Board of Water and Power Commission meeting. Agenda to be publicly available 72 hours prior to meeting. More information. Time: 11 a.m. Place: City of LA Dept. of Water & Power, Room 1555-H, 111 North Hope Street, Los Angeles. (more…)

July 26: Joint state agency workshop on the proposed regionalization of the Independent System Operator. Topics include development of a proposed governance structure and studies on the environmental and economic impacts of a regional grid operator. More information. (more…)

Southern California came through its first major test of summer absent the SoCal Gas Aliso Canyon natural storage field with no major power blackouts or rotating outages. (more…)

The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power June 21 approved an energy savings incentive program for large commercial and industrial customers. The new program, called SummerShift, is in response to the limited availability of natural gas from the Aliso Canyon gas storage field. LADWP is offering monthly incentives of $10.00/ kW to shift energy […]

After numerous hearings, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power June 15 won an air quality variance that will allow it to burn diesel fuel at three of its four Los Angeles area power plants this summer if natural gas is not available. (more…)

The Los Angeles City Council June 7 took a major step toward putting a ballot measure before city voters in November to reform the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. (more…)

The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power’s board of commissioners May 17 sent a $4.9 billion fiscal 2016-17 power system budget to the Los Angeles City Council for approval. (more…)

The Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power’s five-member board this week gave preliminary approval to a 2016-17 fiscal year budget that includes $5.6 billion in revenue and $5 billion in spending. (more…)