CEC, CPUC, CAISO, PG&E, SCE and UC
Berkeley Apply for $2 Billion DOE
Grant to Increase Grid Capacity and Renewable Energy While Lowering
Costs for Customers
OAKLAND,
Calif. and ROSEMEAD,
Calif., April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a joint
effort to deliver more clean energy at a lower cost to customers,
the California Energy Commission (CEC), California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC), California Independent System Operator (CAISO),
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California
Edison (SCE), and the University of
California, Berkeley Energy Institute at Haas submitted a
grant application for $2 billion to
the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Grid Resilience and
Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program – the largest such
application in state history.
The project, called California Harnessing Advanced Reliable Grid
Enhancing Technologies for Transmission (CHARGE 2T), would deliver
these customer benefits:
- Increase statewide electric transmission capacity, which will
boost supply, reducing renewable curtailment and reducing costs
incurred when there is not sufficient capacity, known as
congestion, which would lower costs to customers;
- Improve technologies and coordination to streamline the process
for renewable energy projects to interconnect to the grid;
- Support workforce development through programs that facilitate
access to union jobs with family-sustaining compensation; and
- Improve energy education beginning in middle school through
high school, community college, four-year degree programs and
graduate research, unlocking the potential of local
students.
The DOE's GRIP Program is administering $10.5 billion in grants to enhance grid
flexibility and improve resilience of the power system against
growing threats of extreme weather and climate change. If approved,
the matching grant would provide $1
billion.
"This funding will continue to advance grid-enhancing
technologies for the state's transmission planning process as we
work toward 100 percent clean electricity," said California Energy
Commission Chair David Hochschild.
"These promising innovations can help lower costs for Californians
through greater efficiency that lets us get more out of our shared
system."
"Our changing climate demands new thinking, innovation and
investment to decarbonize our economy at the lowest societal cost.
We're proud to be part of this public-private partnership to build
the clean, climate-resilient energy system necessary to meet our
customers' future needs," said Patti
Poppe, Chief Executive Officer, PG&E Corporation.
"As the clean energy transition accelerates, we must maintain a
reliable, resilient and ready electric grid for what's ahead –
especially the state's transmission system, which is challenging
due to lengthy siting and permitting processes," said Steve Powell, President and CEO of Southern
California Edison. "This project will help California take aggressive action against
climate change, drive economic growth and make costs more
affordable for customers."
Advancing Technology Solutions
The project would upgrade over 400 miles of steel powerlines
across the CAISO system, which serves 30 million people, with
advanced conductors that contain carbon fiber and/or composite
cores that allow lines to carry more capacity. It would also use
grid enhancing technologies (GETs) to reduce congestion. Together,
the economic impact to disadvantaged communities is estimated at
$1.4 billion. The work would directly
support about 1,000 IBEW and ESC union jobs, as well as
approximately 20,000 indirect jobs throughout the project's
lifecycle.
The grant also would fund technology and process improvements to
enhance renewable energy interconnection, adding more clean energy
to serve customers and help meet the state's bold clean energy
goals.
Fueling Economic Growth through Workforce Development
Additionally, CHARGE 2T would help fund energy education and
training programs supporting over 350,000 middle and high-school
students, as well as community colleges and universities to develop
a pipeline of future power engineers.
These programs will focus on disadvantaged communities and
provide mentoring, internships and counseling for students at Title
1 schools, as well as later job training, apprenticeships, and
scholarships. Programs would also support mid-career changes, and
training developed with unions to help fuel economic development in
the state.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a
subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is a combined
natural gas and electric utility serving more than sixteen million
people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news
About Southern California Edison
An Edison
International (NYSE: EIX) company, Southern California Edison is
one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving a
population of approximately 15 million via 5 million customer
accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central,
Coastal and Southern
California.
About the University of California,
Berkeley Energy Institute at Haas
The University of California, Berkeley
Energy Institute at Haas helps create a more economically and
environmentally sustainable energy future through research,
teaching and policy engagement.
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company