26 Jun 2026 7 min read Senate Bill 925

NEWS CODEX: Senate Bill 925; Climate Disputes; Offshore Wind Lawsuit

AEU Report Sees Progress on Generator Queues, but More Work Needed: "Most of the ISO/RTOs have made progress on improving their interconnection queues as they have implemented FERC Order 2023, Advanced Energy United said in an update to its scorecard issued just after the order was approved. The report, written by Grid Strategies and the Brattle Group, found that CAISO and SPP have made 'promising improvements' in the past couple of years. But it did not name any grid operator as the best because of the complexity of the issues, AEU Managing Director Caitlin Marquis said." RTO INSIDER
Alternative Western RA Effort Grapples with Tx, Governance Rules: "The work group leading the EDAM-aligned RA effort must reconcile differing opinions before it can present a draft proposal to the ROWE board." RTO INSIDER
A Month into EDAM, the Data Already Shows Two Very Different Grids: "In May, day-ahead energy prices in PacifiCorp East averaged just $8.62/MWh, less than half PacifiCorp West’s $18.97/MWh. PacifiCorp East cleared negative in 17% of all hours, while PacifiCorp West went negative only 2% of the time. Those differences reflect fundamentally different resource mixes, operating conditions and exposure to California’s solar-driven price dynamics." UTILITY DIVE
CalCCA Urges CPUC to Fix Flawed Resource Adequacy Proposal Before it Raises Costs and Risks Reliability for Millions of Californians: "The PD leaves nearly $180 million in savings on the table. Right now, load-serving entities must plan for reliability needs hour-by-hour, but they can only trade monthly — a mismatch that leads to unnecessary, costly over-buying. CalCCA proposed a straightforward fix: allow hourly obligation trading to match hourly requirements." CALCCA
California's $11 Billion Wind Project Set a Record – Four Days Later, Output Collapsed: "...hourly CAISO data shows that SunZia increased California’s wind-generation potential and helped produce new highs. It also shows that low-wind periods continue to occur, sometimes only days after record-setting output. The lesson from the data is straightforward: adding more wind raises the peaks, but it does not eliminate the valleys. Any grid built around large amounts of wind generation must still maintain sufficient dispatchable backup, storage, imports, or other resources to carry the system when wind production falls." A PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO ENERGY
California's Electric Price Tag Hinders Data Center Development: "With industrial electricity prices sitting over double the national average, state regulations surrounding the size of backup generators and lengthy waiting periods to connect to the grid, California is considerably shielded from data centers’ impacts." LA MAG
California Can Turn Fusion Momentum into Commercialization – SB 925 is the Next Step: "Authored by Senator Jerry McNerney (SD 5), SB 925 directs the California Energy Commission to develop a strategic plan for fusion energy research, development, and commercialization in the state. Notably, the bill includes key recommendations from Clean Air Task Force’s State Policy Options for Fusion Energy Deployment, which details steps that states can take to create conducive environments for fusion energy deployment. SB 925 passed unanimously, 37–0, with Democratic and Republican support." CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE
California Democrats Threaten to Block Newsom Priorities Over Imperiled Climate Deal: "At stake are billions of dollars earmarked for public transit, safe drinking water and affordable housing raised from climate market auctions. The Senate is also threatening to hold up many of Newsom’s own priorities, including funding for high-speed rail and wildfires, electric-car tax credits and a clean jet fuel subsidy." CAL MATTERS
- A Climate Policy Betrayal in California: "As policymakers grapple with the fallout from the war in Iran, California’s climate regulator approved carbon market regulations that undermine the state’s climate goals. Promoted as an affordability measure, the new rules won’t reduce gasoline prices—but they will transfer billions of dollars in public investments to private interests." KLEINMAN CENTER FOR ENERGY POLICY
California Gas Generation Down 60% From 2024 as Solar, Imports Surge: "Utility-scale solar generation overtook natural gas generation in the California Independent System Operator’s footprint over the first five months of 2026, according to a Tuesday report from the Energy Information Administration. From January through May, solar generation in CAISO increased 21% compared with the same period in 2024, while natural gas generation decreased 60%, EIA found." UTILITY DIVE
- California Solar Surged Ahead of Gas in the First 5 Months of 2026: "Solar didn’t beat gas on its own, though. Battery developers have built 16 gigawatts of capacity in CAISO to charge up on solar power and then compete with gas after sundown. This buildup has rapidly altered grid dynamics in the evenings, when batteries regularly become the top source of power for multiple hours. Meanwhile, wind imports recently jumped as the gigantic SunZia project came online, and that takes the fight to gas in the middle of the night, further depressing its output." CANARY MEDIA
California Needs Water and Clean Power – It Might Have a Fix for Both: "In California, a sprawling 4,000-mile network of canals winds through citrus orchards and fields of tree nuts, delivering irrigation and drinking water to homes and farms across the state. The canals are critical in an increasingly arid part of the country. But what if they could help fulfill another urgent need: renewable energy? To test that idea, researchers, private enterprise and a public utility in the Central Valley are installing solar panels atop the man-made waterways." NEW YORK TIMES
California to Sue Trump Administration Over Offshore Wind Buybacks: "The state of California plans to sue the U.S. Department of the Interior and several other parties over the Trump administration’s agreements with offshore wind developers to 'buy back' their leases for several projects, including Golden State Wind off the coast of California, Attorney General Rob Bonta said..." UTILITY DIVE
- California Prepares to Sue Over OSW Lease Cancellation: "CAISO’s current 2025/26 transmission planning process base case includes 4.5 GW of future offshore wind capacity, but a federal agreement cancelled an offshore wind project that could have generated up to 2 GW." RTO INSIDER
- California Preps for Battle Royale Over Offshore Wind Leases That Trump Wants to Kill: "On June 23, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the chair of the California Energy Commission, David Hochschild, issued a formal Notice of Intent to Sue, alleging an illegal agreement between the US Department of the Interior and Golden State Wind, a 50-50 joint venture between the Spanish firm Offshore Wind and the UK firm Reventus Power." CLEAN TECHNICA
CEC Grants $21M to Improve Large Load Flexibility: "Improved conductors, sensors and control systems will by 2030 more effectively connect to California’s grid about 1.1 million new public EV chargers and 4.5 million heat pump water heaters, Sebastian Rubio Ruiz, CEC energy specialist, said during a June 22 agency voting meeting. The state’s data center peak demand is projected to increase by up to 8,300 MW by 2040, pushing CAISO’s peak load up by about 11%." RTO INSIDER
Oppenheimer's Grandson Supports Nuclear Energy Bill: "The grandson of the man who oversaw the invention of the atomic bomb spoke out Wednesday morning in support of nuclear energy development in California. Charles Oppenheimer's testimony before the state Senate Energy and Utilities Committee was part a push by state Democratic lawmakers to expand clean energy production. Assembly Bill 2647, authored by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon, D-City of Industry, would require the California Energy Commission to study nuclear energy development in an effort to reach 100% zero-carbon and renewable energy goals by 2045, according to a legislative analysis." CENTER SQUARE
Solar, Batteries Take the Reins in California's Energy Race: "More than $3.7 billion worth of solar-generation projects could begin construction in California before the end of 2026." INDUSTRIAL INFO
Stakeholders Urge New BPA Leader to Remain Focused on Tx, Markets: "'The priorities and decisions Administrator Kavulla makes will be consequential for the region' — Northwest Energy Coalition Executive Director Tamara Kennedy." RTO INSIDER
Terra-Gen Wins Consent for GW-Scale Solar-BESS Park in California: "Undertaken by project vehicle Discovery Solar PV and Storage LLC, part of Terra-Gen, the scheme will generate around USD 44 million in property tax revenue in its first full year of operations. The solar-storage park will be located near Mojave, at the western edge of the Antelope Valley, and will use photovoltaic panels made by First Solar Inc. The entire complex will span across 7,700 acres (3,116 hectares) of 473 privately-owned parcels." RENEWABLES NOW
The Best Way to Eliminate Methane Leaks is to Drill: "There are two things we now know with almost absolute certainty: (1) Californians will consume at least another 5 billion barrels of oil, even if consumption reaches zero by 2045, and (2) depleting our oil reserves, especially in Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties, is the most effective way to control oil-related emissions of methane and volatile organic compounds. Drilling for oil in California is no longer just a compelling economic choice. It is also guaranteed to help the environment." CALIFORNIA GLOBE
The Coming Western Energy Supply Crunch: "Grid managers are some of the soberest people you’ll meet, and they’re starting to get spooked about energy shortages in the West. Forecasts of a looming supply crunch in California, the Pacific Northwest and the Desert Southwest are drawing attention at industry events, in formal regulatory proceedings and among gurus who study this stuff. A presentation prepared by a grid modeler for a gathering in San Diego last month put it in terms that, for a grid modeler, are stark. 'Even with all planned resource additions, loss of load is encountered,' according to the analysis from Vic Howell of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council." THE CURRENT
Two Microgrids with Solar Power Being Developed for Tribal Community in California: "The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians and OATI are partnering to develop two microgrids for the tribal community in Northern California. The goal of the project is to bring renewable energy onto tribal lands so they can have greater energy independence and control over their electricity supply." CLEAN TECHNICA

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