Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to buy massive amounts of renewable energy to help keep the lights on.
The idea is to use the state's purchasing power to convince private companies to build largescale power plants that run off of heat from underground sites and strong winds blowing off the coast - the kinds of power that utility companies have not been buying because it's too expensive and would take too long to build.
Demand for electricity in California has increased as the state takes step to move away from fossil fuels, including banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. California will need to add about 40 gigawatts of new power over the next 10 years, according to the California Independent Systems Operator, which manages the state's power grid. One gigawatt is enough to power about 750,000 homes.
Californians already pay some of the nation's highest energy bills. But one consumer advocacy group said Newsom's proposal could be better for customers in the long-run. State regulators would not decide what the charge will be until the power projects are up and running - potentially several years away.
Publicly-owned utilities, like the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, fear the state's entrance into the energy market will create new competition, potentially increasing prices for everyone in a market already struggling with a lack of supply. Democratic lawmakers have changed Newsom's proposal to ease some of those concerns. While Newsom wanted the state to buy any type of power, lawmakers say it should be restricted to offshore wind and geothermal - two power sources that the utility companies currently aren't buying. The proposal is pending in the legislature.
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