MID-WEEK NEWS CODEX: Western Gateway Pipeline; Biofuels' Slow Growth; Arrival of EDAM and Markets+
20 New EV Charging Ports Installed in Long Beach, CA: "PowerFlex recently collaborated with the Los Angeles County Internal Services Department and the Los Angeles County Development Authority to install 20 Level 2 electric vehicle charging ports at the LACDA Carmelitos community in Long Beach, CA. While 20 EV charging ports might not sound like that much, they are part of a much larger goal Los Angeles County has to install 15,000 EV chargers on its own properties by 2035." CLEAN TECHNICA
CAISO's EDAM and SPP's Markets+ Arrive to Tame the Wild West: "In the first half of 2026, the West will shortly have a new day-ahead market and an expansion of the SPP RTO (more on that in part 2). By 2027, a competing day-ahead market, and by 2028, most of the West will be participating in one or the other, while sure-to-be-acrimonious decisions on the future of CAISO should have reached their denouement. The guiding element across all of these initiatives is a unified (or at least polycentric) West via the expansion of markets to enable more efficient scheduling and operations across the interconnection." EXPORTS
Coastal Commission Refuses Permits for Diablo Canyon Without Additional Land Conservation: "The California Coastal Commission declined Pacific Gas and Electric’s request for a federal consistency certification and a state coastal development permit, both of which are needed for a new 20-year operating license for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The Commission did not accept its staff recommendation to approve the requests at the November 6, 2025 meeting, but instead said PG&E must place thousands of acres of land into conservation for approval of the coastal development permit." CALIFORNIA ENERGY JOURNAL
Comparing the Esmeralda 7 Solar Project to the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Facility: "Sammy Roth’s claim that the Esmeralda 7 Solar Project would 'produce' 6.2 gigawatts compared to Diablo Canyon’s 2.2 GW might suggest solar’s superiority. However, this overlooks the difference between capacity (maximum potential output) and generation (actual electricity produced). On a typical fall day, Esmeralda would average 1.34 GW, while Diablo Canyon delivers a steady 2.2 GW across 24 hours. This analysis compares the two facilities, highlighting nuclear’s reliability and efficiency over solar’s variability and land-intensive design." A PRAGMATIC APPROACH to ENERGY
Oil Extraction Reduces Methane Seepage: "If oil extraction was resumed, it would reduce the amount of leakage of methane and other reactive organic compounds, whether the leaks are through naturally occurring vents, or through the thousands of dormant wells – many of which are so old they can’t easily even be found." CALIFORNIA POLICY CENTER
Open Season for Western Expansion – Kinder Morgan and Phillips 66 Launch Western Gateway Pipeline Connecting Midwest Supply to the Southwest and California: "If built, the Western Gateway would, for the first time, supply California with refined fuels via pipeline directly from outside the state. This marks a pivotal shift for a region historically dependent on isolated in-state refineries and waterborne imports – offering new supply resilience for California, Arizona, and Nevada." STILLWATER ASSOCIATES
Spreading the Cap-and-Trade Wealth: "By extending the cap-and-trade program – now rebranded as cap-and-invest – California showed that it remains committed to smart decarbonization. Structuring the climate credit as a volumetric discount would align with that commitment." ENERGY at HAAS
Talking in Tonnes, Negotiating in Dollars – the Politics of Carbon Markets in California: "To keep prices low, will California continue to rely on lax accounting practices and low-quality offsetting projects, largely based outside the state? Or will concerns around costs motivate carbon-market design that explicitly limits costs and directs a larger share of funding to in-state activities that support California’s decarbonization agenda?" KLEINMAN CENTER for ENERGY POLICY
U.S. Biofuels Production Capacity Growth Slowed in 2024: "Renewable diesel and other biofuels production capacity increased just 391 million gallons per year (gal/y) in 2024, less than one-third of the growth observed in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, only two capacity additions came online, both in California: Phillips 66’s conversion of its Rodeo refinery to exclusively produce biofuels and the new Renewable Fuels LLC plant in Bakersfield. With the completed conversion, the Rodeo plant has a capacity of 767 million gal/y, up from 180 million gal/y in last year’s report. This increase makes it the second-largest renewable diesel plant in the United States, behind Diamond Green Diesel’s 982-million-gal/y plant in Norco, Louisiana." EIA
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Nov
WEEKEND NEWS CODEX: Solar Interconnection Delays; BTM Thermal Energy Storage; Rising Electricity Prices
