Aliso Canyon storage increased, PG&E and SCE earnings nosedive…

California is trying to move away from fossil fuels but struggles with reliability challenges. Regulators raise the amount of natural gas in the Aliso Canyon Storage Field, which feeds Los Angeles power plants and other customers, siting winter reliability issues.

The California Public Utilities Commission also gives a boost to building electrification by simplifying applications for electric appliance incentives. Regulators also approve more visible and objective safety metrics for the investor-owned utilities.

Worsening wildfire liability pushes the earnings of the state’s two biggest investor-owned utilities further into the red. PG&E reported a loss of more than $1 billion in its third quarter, which included an estimated $1 billion in liability for this year’s huge Dixie Fire. Southern California Edison’s loss rose to $341 million after upping its fire and mudslide liability by $1.2 billion.

The polluting Oakland peaking plant’s conversion to substation batteries won’t happen early next year. The joint initiative by PG&E and East Bay Clean Energy gets thwarted by interconnection challenges, including time-intensive upgrades.

The California Public Utilities Commission continues to call for more resources to avert grid emergencies over the next two summers. Its latest proposal seeks up to 3,000 MW of demand response from large and small energy users, including vehicle-to-grid supplies, and energy efficiency. It also includes dynamic pricing pilots to shift EV charging and agriculture pumping way from peak hours

And more…