Major Utilities Not Onside
Major utilities, such as Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison, are not in agreement with the push to prevent new natural gas plants from being built or having older ones upgraded. They believe that these plants are needed to cover the transition period as we move from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The facts just don’t seem to support their conclusions. Most of the older plants that are about to go offline are running at less than 25% capacity, which suggests they don’t need to be replaced.
Environmental Lobby Praises Halt on Natural Gas Plants
On the other side of the argument are the environmental lobbyists such as the Sierra Club. In their opinion the state isn’t moving fast enough in the move towards renewable energy and they point towards disasters such as the leak at Aliso Canyon as proof that the timetable needs to be moved up for both environmental reasons and for the safety of California’s citizens. They were ecstatic when the state of California decided to take another look at plans for new natural gas plants before allowing them to proceed.
Renewable Targets Ahead of Schedule
Overcapacity isn’t the only reason that there seems to be a good case for putting the brakes on plans for new plants. California is way ahead of schedule in reaching its renewable energy targets. The major utility companies in the state have already met or exceeded their 2020 targets and are expected to reach their 2030 targets by 2020.
