23 Oct 2026 4 min read VPP

NEWS CODEX: Wildfire Policy Reform; VPP Funding; EDAM Operations

A New Gas Line or Cash to Electrify? California Lets Households Choose: "A new law, the Home Energy Choice Act (Assembly Bill 2313), will require utilities to give households scheduled for a service line replacement the option of getting the new line or taking a financial incentive potentially worth several thousand dollars to get off gas instead." CANARY MEDIA
Best Buy Pilots Battery-Powered Vehicles at California Distribution Sites: "The vehicles, called electric yard switchers, move cargo containers and trailers and produce zero tailpipe emissions." UTILITY DIVE
California Amps Up Pressure on Grid Buildouts That Take Too Long: "...California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation that will apply pressure to investor-owned utilities and independent transmission developers to start making progress on these projects. Assembly Bill 2493 orders them to submit project schedules for major transmission upgrades that require a CPUC permit. It also creates a new transmission development monitor position within the CPUC to check whether utilities and developers are on track. If they aren’t, the CPUC must order them to undertake 'remedial actions.'" CANARY MEDIA
California's Energy Future Needs the 3 R's – Reality, Reliability and Resilience: "California’s remaining refineries that process crude oil lack the capacity to produce the 58 million gallons of transportation fuel demanded daily. Compounding the problem, other operators have warned that the regulatory climate makes additional refinery closures likely." FORESTS, FUELS & FREEDOM
California Legalized Balcony Solar, Here's What Homeowners Should Know: "Qualifying devices are exempt from interconnection agreements, utility approval, extra equipment requirements and utility fees. Utilities, including municipal ones like LADWP, may ask you to fill out a simple online registration form. They cannot make you wait for permission." PV MAGAZINE
California Officials Say Grid Will Remain Reliable Even as Reserve Contracts Expire: "California’s 3-GW Electricity Supply Strategic Reliability Reserve Program has been around since 2022 and includes fossil fuel power plants that are only turned on when called upon to help meet energy shortages. The majority of the reserve—more than 2.8 GW--comes from once-through-cooling natural gas plants, and those contracts are set to expire at the end of the year." CALIFORNIA ENERGY MARKETS
CEC Boost VPP Funding Amidst Accelerated AI Data Center Growth: "The VPPs will need to keep an eye on cyber security risks that come along with incorporating into the grid and communities, commissioners said at an Oct. 19 business meeting." RTO INSIDER
PG&E Asks California Energy Safety Office for Permission to Go Underground: "The proposed plan — which PG&E expects will deliver long-term benefits valued at $117 billion — would place roughly 5,000 miles of electric distribution lines underground from 2028 to 2037." DAILY ENERGY INSIDER
PG&E Needs Wildfire Policy Reform to Manage Tail Risk, CEO Says: "Some of the policies PG&E is looking for from California lawmakers include a permanent source of liquidity beyond the Wildfire Fund plus a maximum disallowance independent of funding source, according to the company’s earnings presentation." UTILITY DIVE
Progress on California Diablo Canyon Extension Legislation: "The CPUC played a central role in the 2016 plan to needlessly close DCPP in 2025...Other state agencies such as the State Water Resources Control Board, the California Energy Commission, the California Independent System Operator, the State Lands Commission, the State Board of Equalization and the California Coastal Commission have taken actions in opposition to extended DCPP operations." GreenNUKE
Solar and Storage Saved California $2.5 Billion and Texas $3.5 Billion This Summer: "However, SEIA cautions that wholesale generation savings do not translate uniformly to lowering residential electricity bills." PV MAGAZINE
Solving California's Energy Affordability Crisis Can Help the Whole Nation: "One of the primary drivers of rising grid costs in California has been distribution costs — now the largest part of consumer bills. These doubled over the last two decades, skyrocketing in 2019 after catastrophic wildfires triggered massive utility spending to reduce future fire risk. Transmission expenditures tripled over the same time period, though transmission still only represents about 10 percent of the bill. Generation costs increased less dramatically – about 40% over 10 years." UTILITY DIVE
The GeoTES Revolution Solving California's Energy Crisis with Oil and Innovation: "Is GeoTES the holy grail for data centers? Not on today’s evidence. The holy grail would be cheap, firm, and proven. GeoTES is promising, potentially firm for weeks at a time, and unproven at any meaningful scale. What it does have is a real federal award, a published national lab study behind the core idea, a water permit moving forward, and a founder who knows his reservoir. The fastest way to settle the debate is to build the 100-kilowatt pilot, measure what comes out and publish the numbers. For families paying 33 cents a kilowatt-hour, that test is worth running. For more on the geothermal push, see ENB’s report on the 150-gigawatt geothermal opportunity." ENERGY NEWS BEAT
"The Market is Working" - EDAM Operations Successful, PacifiCorp Says: "CAISO’s peak load hit 50,335 MW on Sept. 9, the second highest ever, behind the record of 52,061 MW set in 2022. Load was below 38 GW for most of September." RTO INSIDER
What to Say to Californians Worried About Grid Batteries: "Bringing state agencies like the CEC into the permitting process can help ensure that the latest fire-safety practices are being put to use. Take the 400-megawatt Potentia-Viridi project in rural Alameda County, which won CEC approval earlier this year under its new Opt-In Certification program for energy projects seeking expedited state review." CANARY MEDIA

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