Business customers of the investor-owned utilities in California are increasingly concerned about the lingering energy crisis that has spiked electricity and natural gas prices and fomented uncertainty about supplies, according to an analysis by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. (LAEDC).
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QF Group Seeks Emergency Relief from FERC
A group representing qualifying facility (QF) generators has called on FERC to immediately order California’s two troubled investor-owned utilities to provide “interconnection, scheduling, transmission and related services” to QF plants in California, and to “cease and desist” from carrying out actions that are blocking sales of QF power.
FERC Waivers to Promote QF Power in CA Hit Snag
FERC’s recent waivers to allow qualifying facilities (QFs) in California to sell output that isn’t earmarked for the state’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) to third parties have run into a snag in the state, says a Daggett, CA-based solar electric generator.
CA to Inherit Transmission Grid Upgrades
Contrary to the impression left by state policymakers nowanxious for California to buy the state’s three investor-ownedutilities’ portion of the state transmission grid, the overworked,congestion-plagued system has had more than 100 upgrade projectstotaling more than $1 billion under way in the past three yearssince the state-chartered independent operator (Cal-ISO) assumedcontrol of the private-sector assets. The utility owners havecontinued to foot the bill for the upgrades and expansions.
CA Gov. Claims Near Deal to Buy SoCal Ed’s Lines for $2.76 Billion
The hoped-for agreement among California’s three investor-ownedutilities and the California’s political establishment was stillout of reach last Friday, but feeling the need to announce someprogress in preparation for his political trip to Washington, DC,and Wall Street early this week. Gov. Gray Davis said the state isclosest to a deal to pay $2.76 billion for the transmission linesof Southern California Edison.
Davis Says $2.76 Billion Deal Close with SoCal Ed
The hoped-for agreement among California’s three investor-ownedutilities and the California’s political establishment was stillout of reach last Friday, but feeling the need to announce someprogress in preparation for his political trip to Washington, DC,and Wall Street early this week. Gov. Gray Davis said the state isclosest to a deal to pay $2.76 billion for the transmission linesof Southern California Edison.
CPUC Releases Audit of SoCal Edison
The first independent audit of one of California’s twonear-insolvent investor-owned utilities, Southern California EdisonCo., confirmed Monday that the multi-billion-dollar company wouldhave been forced into bankruptcy Thursday (Feb. 1) without acombination of cost-containment and stopping payments of its debts.It can now hold out at least through March, and itsunder-collections are overstated by about $2 billion when revenuesfrom its own generation over the past eight months are counted.
PG&E, SoCalGas Butt Heads Over Supply
As tempers continue to get shorter in the midst of California’senergy predicament, the state’s two major investor-owned utilitiesbutted heads this week on a natural gas issue created as anoffshoot of the persistent electricity woes in the state. Itinvolves Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s emergency filing to stateregulators Jan. 18 asking for Southern California Gas Co. to giveit some supplies in the face of its looming shortages, promptingSoCalGas to protest the request.
Williams Says Earnings Beat Estimates
Responding to investor concerns related to California’s energycrisis, Tulsa-based Williams Cos. said Tuesday that its fourthquarter earnings will be well above expected earnings estimates.Shares of the company had dropped to a 52-week low last week afternews surfaced that California’s utilities — one of Williams’largest markets — might not be able to pay their power bills.
Gov. Davis Says ‘No More’ to High Power Prices
Despite FERC findings to the contrary, California Gov. GrayDavis and top officials at the state’s investor-owned utilities(IOUs) are far from convinced that out-of-state electricitysuppliers didn’t act illegally this summer, causing the huge run-upin power prices in the wholesale market.