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California commission to meet in SLO over planned PG&E rate hike

August 6, 2019

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The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will hold a pair of meetings in San Luis Obispo this week to gather input from local residents and ratepayers on PG&E’s plan to raise rates to offset the rising cost of decommissioning the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. [Tribune]

In December, PG&E filed a report with the California Public Utilities Commission that stated the total cost of decommissioning Diablo Canyon will be about $4.8 billion, an approximately $1 billion increase from a previous estimate in a 2015 report. PG&E has thus far allocated $3.2 billion toward decommissioning Diablo Canyon.

The utility is seeking to collect an additional $1.6 billion from ratepayers by 2025. Under PG&E’s current proposal, the typical customer’s monthly bill would increase by about $1.98, or 2 percent, with the rate hike remaining in effect until 2025.

PG&E’s latest decommissioning cost estimate factors in the expenses of tearing down and removing the entire plant on an accelerated schedule. If PG&E can recycle or reuse any of the existing facilities for other purposes, or if it decommissions the plant over a longer period of time, the cost of decommissioning could change. But, the utility’s Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel strongly advised against delaying the decommissioning of the nuclear plant.

This week, the CPUC will hold meetings on Wednesday and Thursday in the SLO County Board of Supervisors Chambers to receive public input. On Wednesday, the CPUC will meet at 5 p.m., followed by a public forum at 6 p.m. The commission will meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, followed by a public forum at 11 a.m.

PG&E will present its case for the proposed rate hike at a series of hearings before an administrative law judge in late September. The administrative law judge is expected to rule on the rate hike by the end of 2019.


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If there were ever a company that needed to be reigned in its PG&E….maybe break it up into smaller more manageable and less corrupted and greedy power companies….


0

So the PGE monopoly feels the rate payers should foot the bill. How much profit has PGE made after the building and closing fees are added up? Was it worth even building it? There is no competition in this state for supplying power to the people and the CPUC has always agreed with PGE to raise rates and they will do it again. The company needs to be sold off to different businesses to create a competitive market. They claim bankruptcy don’t have to pay owed money and still want more.


-1

or tell them to keep the darn thing open and recover the monies that way.


10

Pass the increase along to those who supported closing the plant. This is on them.


10

In any other corporation, the insurance company or shareholders would bear the brunt of a catastrophic loss or negligence. PG&E should be no different. We, taxpayers, fund the CPUC to protect us from just this kind of “too big to fail” monopoly. The CPUC shouldn’t waste our time and money on hearings to ask our opinion on this. It is a slam-dunk – the shareholders and/or insurers pay, the monopoly should be broken up, and the CPUC must do their job – protect the public and the customers of PG&E.


3

When you speak of protection, who pays the Union dues, the wage earners? (nope) the company who pays their wages. So who pays the CPUC?, etc.


0

What????? its gonna cost the rate payers more money!!! who’d of ever thought?


7