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3 min read SoCalGas

WEEKEND NEWS CODEX: SoCalGas Pipeline Break; San Mateo County Microgrid; Fixed Rate on Utility Bills

  • California Needs Both Clean Energy and a Nuclear-Power Backstop: "California might generate as much energy from wind and sun as it uses overall, but not when it’s needed. To keep the power flowing, the state will actually need up to 80 gigawatts of gas-fired backup capacity — far more than it has today — or risk repeated shortfalls." TIMES of SAN DIEGO
  • California Records One of its Largest Drops in Climate Pollution on Record: "To meet California’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, the state must reduce emissions by an average of 4.4% each year. At the most recent five-year average annual reduction pace of 2.8%, California will meet its 2030 goal in 2035 — an improvement from last year when experts projected the date would be 2037." CLEAN TECHNICA
  • California Water District Plans Up to 21 GW of Solar on Land Fallowed Due to Water Shortages: "The board of California’s Westlands Water District has adopted a clean infrastructure plan that it projects could result in 21 GW of solar power at full buildout. The Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan is a 'major land-repurposing initiative' in response to water shortages that 'force large-scale land fallowing across the San Joaquin Valley,' the water district said in a statement." PV MAGAZINE
  • Google Acquires Clean Energy Developer Intersect Power for Nearly $5 Billion: "Alphabet Inc. (Google) has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Intersect Power, a California-based developer of utility-scale solar and battery energy storage systems. The transaction totals approximately $4.75 billion in cash and the assumption of debt. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026." PV MAGAZINE
  • Land Movement Suspected in SoCalGas Pipeline Break: "Land movement likely led to damage to a Southern California Gas Co. pipeline near Castaic in the vicinity of Interstate 5 and Lake Hughes Road on the afternoon of Dec. 27 that disrupted fuel transportation and shut down the freeway for hours. Utility crews isolated the damaged section of pipeline, stopping the leak, but the event triggered a force majeure declaration, the utility said on its ENVOY system. 'The cause of the break has not been determined; however, significant land movement has been observed near the break,' SoCalGas said on its website and ENVOY. “[A] preliminary inspection of the area by a geologist has determined this was the most likely cause of the pipeline break.” By Dec. 30, the utility had removed a key statement from its update, which said, 'There are no indications of an ignition or explosion.'" CALIFORNIA ENERGY MARKETS
  • Sable Pipeline Gets Go-Ahead to Restart California Pipeline: "The Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration just gave Sable Offshore Corp. a Christmas present: Sable can begin pumping oil from its three platforms off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., after a federal appeals court allowed the restart of a contested pipeline, Bloomberg Law reported. 'Environmental groups lost their bid at the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to stay enforcement of the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s emergency special permit for the Las Flores Pipeline System,' Bloomberg reported." CALIFORNIA GLOBE
  • San Mateo County Commits $3 Million Toward Pescadero Microgrid to Curb Chronic Outages: "In the last two years, the power has gone out throughout Pescadero at least 400 times. From 2021 to 2022, the town endured 25 power outages that lasted more than a day, according to San Mateo County. But through Pacific Gas & Electric’s Microgrid Incentive Program, a solar and battery-powered microgrid could come to Pescadero. The incentive program provides grants to install microgrids in disadvantaged communities and areas that are more vulnerable to power outages." LOCAL NEWS MATTERS
  • WEM Body Approves Natural Gas Resource-Management Proposal: "The Western Energy Markets Governing Body unanimously approved changes to the California Independent System Operator’s natural gas resource market rules to make scheduling of gas units more efficient. After more than two years’ work addressing stakeholder challenges, several regional market participants told the WEM Governing Body at its Dec. 16 meeting that the enhancements would better allow them to manage and recover the operational costs associated with running natural gas fleets, including outside California." CALIFORNIA ENERGY MARKETS
  • What Happens When Utilities Raise the Fixed Charge and Lower the Energy Charge? "...three investor-owned utilities regulated by the California PUC will be rolling out these fixed charges in the next several months. One of them, SCE, rolled them out in November. PG&E, which serves 5 million customers in northern California, will impose a fixed charge of $24 a month in March 2026 on non-low-income customers who account for roughly a third of all customers. The latter will get a substantial discount on their bills which ranges from 18-35 percent based on their income. It is paid for by all other customers. For low income customers, the fixed charge will range from $6-12 a month. They will see lower bills when the fixed charge is implemented. But they are unlikely to electrify either their homes or their vehicles. Many of them rent their homes and don’t own vehicles." PV MAGAZINE

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