Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>> >>PEGGY: THERE ARE A A LOT OF PLAYERS IN THE SAN DIEGO POWER GAME.
HERE TO FILL US IN ON THE ENERGY LANDSCAPE AND WHAT THE MOST RECENT DECISIONS MEAN IS
KPBS NORTH COUNTY BUREAU CHIEF ALISON ST. JOHN. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
THERE ARE SO MANY AGENCIES AND COMPANIES INVOLVED IN THIS, IT'S REALLY HARD TO KEEP TRACK.
TELL US WHO SOME OF THESE KEY PLAYERS ARE. >> >>MARY BALL: FIRST OF ALL WE HAVE THE CPUC,
THEY REPRESENT THE. >> >>ALISON: PUBLIC INTEREST OF RATE PAYERS
FOR ENERGY AND WATER. THEN YOU HAVE CAL ISO, THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE
FOR KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON. THEY KNOW WHERE ALL THE ENERGY SOURCES ARE AND KEEP THE POWER
FLOWING THROUGH THE POWER LINES. SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, AND SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA EDISON THE PRIVATE COMPANY THAT OWNS AND OPERATES 80% OF THAT.
THE NRC IS THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WHICH DECIDES IF IT'S SAFE TO RUN THAT PLANT.
>> >>PEGGY: WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT CPUC THIS WEEK, YESTERDAY THERE WAS A MEETING
TO DECIDE WHETHER WE SHOULD HAVE PEAKER PLANTS. REMIND US WHAT THE DECISION WAS YESTERDAY.
>> >>ALISON: A PEAKER PLANT IS WHEN YOU GET PEAK DEMAND FOR ENERGY IN THE SUMMER, A PEAK
DEMAND, AND THAT'S WHEN THOSE PLANTS WOULD CLICK ON AT 10 MINUTES NOTICE TO FILL IN THE
POWERS AND AVOID A BLACKOUT. WHAT THE CPUC DECIDED WAS THESE TWO PLANTS
ON THE TABLE WILL NOT BE NEEDED YET SO THEY SAID NO SDG&E, WE DON'T GRANT YOU PERMISSION
TO ENTER A CONTRACT WITH THESE TWO PLANTS. BUT THEY MAY BE NEEDED BY 2018.
>> >>PEGGY: THE CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENT SYSTEM OPERATOR, THAT CAL ISO YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT,
THEY ALSO ISSUED A REPORT THIS WEEK. WHAT DID THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT OUR POWER
SUPPLY FOR THIS SUMMER? >> >>ALISON: ASSUMING THAT SAN ONOFRE WILL
BE OFF LINE, THEY WERE SAYING THEY THINKÊ THEY'RE GUARANTEEING THAT WE WILL BE OKAY
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THEY DO SAY, THOUGH, THAT WE HAVE A COUPLE
OF SOURCES OF ENERGY LESS THIS YEAR THAN WE HAD LAST YEAR.
IF IT GETS VERY HOT, WE CONSUMERS ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY GOING TO HAVE TO CONSERVE MORE TO
AVOID BLACKOUTS. THERE WILL BE IF FLEX ALERTS. >> >>PEGGY: WHO DECIDES IF SAN ONOFRE GOES
BACK ONLINE? >> >>ALISON: THAT'S THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION RIGHT NOW. IT'S IN FRONT OF THEM AND THEY ARE SAYING BY MAY OR JUNE WHETHER
TO LET THE PLANT RESTART AT 70% POW FRR FIVE MONTHS.
JUST TODAY, ACTUALLY, THE OPERATOR SAID THAT THEY WILL KUN SID THR POSSIBLE, ASK DH NRC
IF THEY CAN HAVE A LICENSED AMENDMENT WHICH IS WHAT THEY WILL NEED IF THEY WANT TO START
IT AND KEEP RUNNING IT AT 70% POWER. >> >>PEGGY: THIS RATE PAYER SITUATION, SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA EDISON OWNS AND OPERATES THE PLANT, 80% OF IT, SDG&E A FOR PROFIT COMPANY, OUR
POWER COMPANY, OWNS THE OTHER 20%. EDISON HAS LONG SAID THEY WANT TO CHARGE RATE
PAYERS SO WHAT'S THE COST RIGHT NOW AND WHO DECIDES IF THAT'S FAIR?
>> >>ALISON: THAT'S WHAT THE CPUC IS CURRENTLY DOING, SORT OF A BEHIND THE SCENES INVESTIGATION.
THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT THE COSTS THA EDISON HAS BEEN CHARGING US, HAVE THEY BEEN REASONABLE.
>> >>PEGGY: ARE WE PAYING FOR THEM RIGHT NOW? >> >>ALISON: WE ARE. WE'VE PAID ALREADY ABOUT
200ÊMILLION DOLLARS TOWARDS THE SIX OR SEVEN MILLION TO THE STEAM GENERATORS THAT FAILED,
COST THE COMPANY IN THE FIRST PLACE. >> >>PEGGY: WE'RE PAYING FOR ENERGY WE'RE
NOT REALLY GETTING? >> >>ALISON: THEY'RE HAVING TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT
ENERGY. SO, YES, IT'S COSTING AT THE MOMENT THE RATE
PAYERS ARE SHOULDERING THE BURDEN AND I THINK DOWN THE LINE SOME QUESTION AS TO WHETHER
INVESTORS HAVE TO SHOALD THR BURDEN OF THESE PROBLEMS TOO TIVMENT THIS BRINGS US BACK FULL
CIRCLE TO THE CPUC, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THIS ORGANIZATION IN THE NEAR FUTURE HERE?
>> >>ALISON: THEY ARE CONSIDERING THIS QUESTION, AND IN FACT JUST THIS WEEK WE HAD A REPORT
FROM ONE OF THE PEOPLE OPPOSING THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SAYING LOOK, CPUC, IT'S NOT COST
EFFECTIVE TO BE RUNNING THIS POWER PLANT, IT'S ACTUALLY CHEAPER TO RUN ALTERNATIVES.
THEY TOOK THAT ANALYSIS FROM FIGURES PRODUCED BY EDISON ITSELF.
EDISON IS DISPUTING THAT ANALYSIS, AND STILL SAYING THEY WANT WANT TO GET THE PLANT UP
AND RUNNING AGAIN THIS SUMMER. >> >>PEGGY: ALISON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
PUTTING THIS ALL IN CONTEXT FOR US. IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENERGY
LANDSCAPE IN SAN DIEGO THIS SUMMER, GO TO KPBS.ORG/ENERGY.