Tag Archives: PG&E

Energy, Politics

SENATE ENERGY COMMITTEE BLOCKS PG&E BREAKUP BILL

By Megan Stephens : davisvanguard – excerpt

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Sen. Scott Wiener’s effort to give cities like San Francisco a clearer path to cut ties with PG&E stalled this week after the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee failed to advance SB 875, legislation aimed at reforming the state process for creating local public utilities.

SB 875 would have sought to unrig what supporters described as a broken California Public Utilities Commission process that prevents cities like San Francisco from leaving PG&E and forming their own public utilities. The bill was the first of its kind to pass even one committee. It aimed to reform procedures at the California Public Utilities Commission to allow cities that wish to exit PG&E to establish their own public utilities while providing more affordable and reliable energy to residents…

In 2019, San Francisco began trying to exit PG&E, but in the years since, it has faced repeated delays at the CPUC due to what supporters called a broken process rigged by private utilities, especially PG&E. The current valuation proceeding was filed with the CPUC in July 2021. Even with a strict 180-day timeline required by law, PG&E has successfully drawn the CPUC process out to more than four and a half years… (more)

Housing

These Bay Area housing developments are delayed because PG&E can’t get them parts for power

We have one of our eternal projects still under construction for this very reason. It’s absolutely nuts!
But Sacramento doesn’t care – they want us to fail to get SB423 streamlining, then possibly decertify our housing elements and they get BR projects across the state.

On 12/19/2023 1:03 PM PST zrants <zrants@gmail.com> wrote:

By J.K. Dineen : sfchronicle – excerpt A 19-story tower in the heart of downtown Oakland has made headlines both because it is one of the few significant housing developments under construction in the neighborhood and because it is one of the world’s tallest “mass timber” structures.

Developer oWow has been gearing up for a January grand opening of the 236-unit complex at 1510 Webster St. But, last week, company president Andy Ball was shocked to learn that the opening could be delayed by months, and perhaps as much as a year, because of something unexpected: a shortage of electrical transformers.

Ball said he called Pacific Gas & Electric on Dec. 11 to place the order for three subsurface distribution transformers, which transfer electrical energy from one circuit to another. He was told that the equipment would not be available until the second half of 2024 — at the earliest.

“It was a bombshell, the last thing I expected,” Ball said. “They are going to put developers out of business. They are going to destroy projects.”…

Sarkissian said it had informed 540 customers that they have two choices: redesign their projects to use above ground “pad transformers,” or “wait until the equipment becomes available.” Sarkissian cited a study by Edison Electric Institute, an industry association of investor-owned electric utilities, showing that approximately 75% of all utilities are experiencing similar shortages.

The issue is that above ground transformers can be large and unsightly, taking up space better used for retail or housing units or gyms or landscaping. In addition, most urban infill districts, including downtown Oakland, require developers to put their transformers below ground…(more)

How are they going to spin this one to blame the cities? Guess they will have no choice but to relax the requirement for below ground transformers if they want to meet their RHNA deadlines.