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# NEWS CODEX: CAISO Forecasting Challenge; Offshore Fracking; Iron Air Batteries
- URL: https://www.calregulatory.com/news-codex-caiso-forecasting-challenge-offshore-fracking-iron-air-batteries/
- Published: 2026-08-21T23:27:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-21T23:27:54.000Z
- Author: MC
- Tags: EDAM, Extended Day-Ahead Market, iron air batteries, Senate Bill 886, Senate Bill 887, Regional Organization for Western Energy, Kevala, Integrated Energy Policy Report, Western Gateway Pipeline

- **CAISO's Load-Balancing EDAM Math Doesn't Add Up, Says CPUC Staff:** "'I think the strongest element of Energy Division’s comments is that currently available public data don’t allow stakeholders to reproduce the calculations behind some of the CAISO’s key results,' energy and regulatory analyst **Michael Cade** wrote in comments to Utility Dive. 'That discrepancy alone doesn’t show that the adjustments were wrong. CAISO uses a separate, higher uncertainty benchmark to calculate them.'" [**UTILITY DIVE**](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/caiso-load-balancing-edam-cpuc-staff-powerex/828142/?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **California's New Tire Efficiency Rules Could Save Drivers $1B a Year:** "On Monday, the California Energy Commission unanimously approved a rule that would phase in the nation’s first standards for tire efficiency. [The rule](https://www.energy.ca.gov/publications/2026/californias-proposed-replacement-tire-efficiency-program?ref=calregulatory.com) is 'designed to ensure that replacement tires sold in the state are at least as energy efficient, on average, as tires sold in the state as original equipment.' It would also establish a labeling system that gives tires a 'leaf' rating, to make it easier for consumers to find the best options. In addition to saving drivers money, the state projects that the changes could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2 million tons annually, which it says is equivalent to taking around 400,000 cars off the road." [**GRIST**](https://grist.org/transportation/californias-new-tire-efficiency-rules-could-save-drivers-1b-a-year/?ref=calregulatory.com)
  - **California Passes Restrictive Replacement Tire Law in the Name of Efficiency:** "**Bret Gladfelty**, on behalf of Goodyear, told the commission that this will increase costs for consumers and said the commission had yet to resolve technical and legal issues with the rules. In a letter to the CEC, Gladfelty had questioned the data the CEC released to the public about the cost of new tires, noting that while the commission says the price increases average about $6.50 per tire in phase 2, Gladfelty warned \[increased\] costs could actually end up being in the several hundreds of dollars." [**JALOPNIK**](https://www.jalopnik.com/2240366/regulators-pass-new-rules-for-efficient-california-tires/?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **CAISO Warns of Forecasting Challenges from Large Loads:** "To address potential forecasting problems, CAISO is working on four potential solutions:
  - Load growth information: obtain better visibility into projected new load additions.
  - Effective operating profiles: obtain typical large loads’ demand characteristics, such as median daily demand profiles, which will inform CAISO’s baseline forecasting assumptions.
  - Load movement and variability: obtain schedules and actual metered demand for large loads, which will improve intraday and day-ahead tracking.
  - Operating limits and constraints: obtain information about minimum and maximum consumption levels, ramping characteristics, and flexibility or curtailment capabilities." [**RTO INSIDER**](https://www.rtoinsider.com/139257-caiso-warns-forecasting-challenges-large-loads/?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **California Coastal Commission Objects to Offshore Fracking Proposal:** "The California Coastal Commission unanimously [objected](https://www.coastal.ca.gov/meetings/agenda/?ref=calregulatory.com#/2026/8) on August 13, 2026 to DCOR LLC’s proposal for hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, at 16 wells on Platform Gilda in federal waters off Ventura, California. The proposal would have been the first fracking off California’s coast in more than a decade. The vote comes after the commission released [two staff reports](https://www.californiaenergyjournal.com/p/coastal-commission-staff-reports?ref=calregulatory.com) on the project in July." [**CALIFORNIA ENERGY JOURNAL**](https://www.californiaenergyjournal.com/p/california-coastal-commission-objects?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **California Shows its Love/Hate Relationship with Nuclear Energy:** "The ongoing political conflict puts California out of step with a national turn of opinion towards nuclear energy. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that at a public meeting in San Luis Obispo County, where the plant is located, half the public comments favored the plant’s continued operation and half were opposed. Nationally, [one recent poll](https://www.bisconti.com/blog/public-opinion-2026?ref=calregulatory.com) found that 77 percent favor nuclear energy." [**NUCLEAR NOTES**](https://www.nuclearnotes.org/p/california-show-its-lovehate-relationship?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **Eight-Hour Energy Storage Gains Ground in California Ahead of 2030:** "Long-duration energy storage is gaining ground in California’s power system. A [new analysis](https://auroraer.com/resources/aurora-insights/market-reports/beyond-four-hours-assessing-the-pathway-for-ldes-in-caiso?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) by Aurora Energy Research identifies the early 2030s as an entry window for eight-hour storage systems, as the cost gap with four-hour batteries narrows and the state’s regulatory framework evolves. The report, Beyond four hours: assessing the pathway for LDES in CAISO, examines the economic and regulatory outlook for long-duration energy storage in the market operated by the [**California Independent System Operator**](https://www.review-energy.com/solar/california-leaves-gas-behind-as-solar-energy-leads-electricity-generation-in-2026?ref=calregulatory.com). Aurora follows the California Public Utilities Commission’s definition of long-duration energy storage as resources capable of discharging at full power for eight hours or more." [**REVIEW ENERGY**](https://www.review-energy.com/almacenamiento/eight-hour-energy-storage-gains-ground-in-california-ahead-of-2030?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **Iron Air Batteries – Niche, or Next Big Thing?** "With a discharge [cycle of up to 100 hours](https://sunlithenergy.com/what-is-iron-air-battery/?ref=calregulatory.com) and a [capacity of 3 megawatts per acre](https://cleantechnica.com/2021/07/24/form-energy-reveals-iron-air-100-hour-storage-battery/?ref=calregulatory.com), iron air batteries can store 300 megawatt-hours per acre. That’s more than twice the storage density of lithium ion batteries, which at a capacity of [30 megawatts per acre](https://terraprosolutions.com/battery-storage-land-requirements-what-developers-and-landowners-must-know/?ref=calregulatory.com) but only 4 hours of discharge capacity, only store 120 megawatt-hours per acre." [**CALIFORNIA GLOBE**](https://californiaglobe.com/fr/ringside-iron-air-batteries-niche-or-next-big-thing/?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **Major Data Center Bills Advance in California Despite Industry Pushback:** "Two major data center bills passed a key committee last week as California’s legislative session nears its close at the end of this month. Senate Bill 886 aims to prevent data centers from raising utility costs for other consumers, while SB 887 would incentivize developers to invest in clean energy and nearby communities."[**CANARY MEDIA**](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/data-centers/major-data-center-bills-advance-california?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **Panelists: Better Tools Needed for Coordinating Multiple Western Markets:** "CAISO and SPP face a Sept. 30 deadline to submit a report to [FERC](https://www.rtoinsider.com/category/rto/rto-public-policy/rto-ferc-federal/?ref=calregulatory.com) on seams issues." [**RTO INSIDER**](https://www.rtoinsider.com/140055-panelists-better-tools-needed-coordinating-multiple-western-markets/?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **ROWE Should Keep "Robust" CAISO Market Functions, Pathways Says:** "Representatives of the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative are recommending that the board of the Regional Organization for Western Energy keep in place [CAISO](https://www.rtoinsider.com/category/rto/rto-caiso-weim/?ref=calregulatory.com)’s market monitoring functions while ensuring there is a robust data-sharing framework after the ROWE assumes governance over the ISO’s energy markets. CAISO has one of the 'most robust market monitoring frameworks of any RTO in the country,' and the ROWE’s future board should transition those functions to the ROWE, Pathways Launch Committee Co-chair **Pam Sporborg**, of Portland General Electric, said at an Aug. 14 stakeholder meeting." [**RTO INSIDER**](https://www.rtoinsider.com/139233-rowe-should-keep-robust-caiso-market-functions-pathways-says/?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **Three Ideas for Using More EVs and Flexible Resources to Support California's Grid – Report:** "A number of studies predict the vast potential of flexible resources–including a $6.7 to $9.9 billion distribution savings estimate from Kevala – which provides grid analytics. Investor-owned utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric suggest that the value varies by time and location and is limited by customer adoption constraints, the report said. This poses a risk of exaggerating the potential and overpaying participants. In addition, California's demand flexibility programs differ from utility to utility, which means customers grappling with fragmented options are less likely to participate. The state’s net energy metering and net billing tariff are subsidized by customers who don’t participate in such programs and have sparked controversy over ratepayer equity, said **Pete Skala**, vice president of professional and advisory services at Kevala Analytics and a former California Public Utilities Commission energy division director." [**MICROGRID KNOWLEDGE**](https://www.microgridknowledge.com/vehicle-to-grid/article/55398625/three-ideas-for-using-more-evs-and-flexible-resources-to-support-californias-grid-report?ref=calregulatory.com)
  - **Unlocking California's Flexible Load – a Durable Blueprint for Affordability and Reliability:** "The potential for electric loads to operate flexibly has already grown dramatically and will continue to grow. EV adoption continues to grow year over year in the state, despite the current federal headwinds. The California Energy Commission’s 2025 Integrated Energy Policy Report projects 8.4 million light-duty EVs in California by 2035.1 All-electric buildings, which represent an increasing portion of the state’s building stock and a large majority of new construction, provide significant load flexibility opportunities, primarily for electrified HVAC loads but also for smart appliances. Distributed storage is rapidly accelerating across residential and commercial sectors." [**GRIDLAB**](https://gridlab.org/portfolio-item/ca-flex-blueprint/?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **Western Gateway Pipeline to Move Forward, Creating New Fuel Route into California:** "Phillips 66, Kinder Morgan and HF Sinclair have made a final investment decision to proceed with the $5 billion Western Gateway Pipeline, a 1,300-mile refined-products system designed to transport fuel from the Midwest and Gulf Coast to Arizona and California. The companies [announced](https://investor.phillips66.com/financial-information/news-releases/news-release-details/2026/Phillips-66-Kinder-Morgan-and-HF-Sinclair-Announce-Final-Investment-Decision-for-Western-Gateway-Pipeline/default.aspx?ref=calregulatory.com) August 11 that they had finalized a joint venture agreement for the project. Phillips 66 will own 49.9% of the system, Kinder Morgan 35.1% and HF Sinclair 15%." [**CALIFORNIA ENERGY JOURNAL**](https://www.californiaenergyjournal.com/p/western-gateway-pipeline-to-move?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **Why Diablo Canyon Never Became a Load-Following Plant:** "When people ask why Diablo Canyon never became a load-following plant, the answer is not that the reactor was incapable of changing power. We changed power when necessary, and we knew how to do it safely. The answer is that Diablo Canyon was a baseload plant by design, by analysis, by operating philosophy and ultimately by licensing basis. Routine daily cycling would have represented a fundamental change in how the station was expected to operate." [**KENNETH KAMINSKI**](https://kennethkaminski.substack.com/p/why-diablo-canyon-never-became-a)
  - **Not Today, Diablo:** "If the Legislature does take up the issue next year, there’s an early ray of sunshine for Diablo’s boosters. When asked during a May debate whether the nuclear power plant should be extended beyond 2030, gubernatorial candidates **Xavier Becerra** and **Steve Hilton** both gave affirmative replies. 'Yes, extend it and build new ones,' said Hilton. 'Yes, but safety first, 'Becerra said." [**POLITICO**](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-currents/2026/08/18/not-today-diablo-01041210?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **Wildfire Liability for Dummies (and Smarties):** " Gov. **Gavin Newsom** has chosen one of the wonkiest, most complex topics in California politics as the focus of his final legislative push: Who pays for damages after a power company sparks a wildfire?" [**POLITICO**](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-currents/2026/08/20/wildfire-liability-for-dummies-and-smarties-01044992?ref=calregulatory.com)
- **The Political Enemies United Against Newsom's Wildfire Plan**: "**Jamie Court** of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog and California’s property insurance lobby have spent decades finding new and creative ways to make each other miserable. Now, they’re suddenly allies, thanks to the Newsom administration’s wildfire liability proposal." [**POLITICO**](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-currents/2026/08/17/the-political-enemies-uniting-against-newsoms-wildfire-plan-01039716?ref=calregulatory.com)