California may use fossil fuel power plants to avoid power outages

Sacramento, CA (AP) — Trying to avoid power Blackout, California may turn to one energy source that is otherwise desperate to get rid of: fossil fuels.

A drastic energy proposal from Governor Gavin Newsom's office has turned the state into a power-buying business, sufficient during the heat waves that strain the grid. You will be able to secure energy. However, some critics say it is in conflict with the state's broader climate goals as it paves the way for the state to take advantage of dilapidated gas-fired power plants and add diesel-fueled standby generators. I am saying.

The debate is scrambling to deal with heat waves fueled by climate change without compromising its commitment to transition to non-fossil fuel energy sources such as the sun and wind. It highlights the challenges facing the department's states.

California gets most of its energy from renewable energy sources during the day, but after the sun sets, it still doesn't have enough storage to send enough solar power. The bill aims to speed up the construction of more renewable energy and storage facilities by preventing local governments from allowing decisions. Supply chain issues are also delaying construction.

Newsom will sign the bill on Thursday after lawmakers passed the bill the night before.

“Climate change has peaked energy demand and we need to increase supply to meet that demand, otherwise we face an intolerable crisis in the community. We are facing a problem because we rely too much on fossil fuels. That is the obvious challenge we are facing, "said Senator Davemin, a Democratic Party representative of Huntington Beach in the coastal area of ​​the gas-fired power plant. Congressman said.

The problem is not unique to California. In New Mexico, a coal-fired power plant was scheduled to close the last two units on Thursday. However, major power companies have delayed solar and battery storage projects aimed at replacing lost capacity, so one until September to meet the demand for the hot summer months. I asked the state to keep the unit open.

State energy authorities warned earlier this year that there is a risk of energy shortages equivalent to powering 1.3 million households on the hottest summer days. did. Newsam and lawmakers are desperate to avoid the scenario of August 2020, when hundreds of thousands of people temporarily lost power due to lack of supply.

Newsom's solution focuses on creating a "strategic reliability reserve" operated by the Department of Water Resources. The Water Department has been given that role because it is the leading producer and user of electricity through the operation of dams and state pumping systems. If the utility buys additional electricity this summer and needs to add a temporary generator, including one powered by fossil fuels, the department can reimburse the utility. After 2023, diesel generators could not be used.

Beyond that, the Water Department will be able to build new energy storage and zero emission power plants. You can also use state funds to purchase electricity from a coastal gas-fired power plant, which is scheduled to close in 2023. The power plant was first set to close in 2020. Beyond the 2025 closure.

Several Democrats have been given by the Newsom administration a guarantee that fossil fuel resources will be used as a last resort and that the bill does not give the Water Department the sole authority to extend gas life. The plant or nuclear facility mentioned.

"These are difficult decisions that all of us need to make," said Senator Henry Stern, a Democrat in Los Angeles County. "What this bill is doing is buying time."

Republican Senator Shannon Grove, who represents Bakersfield, which is rich in fossil fuels, said the bill is California. Prove that it needs oil and gas.

"Without these gas power plants to start when needed, you wouldn't be able to switch on and get electricity," she said.

Meanwhile, environmental groups say the bill does not need to rely on fossil fuels as a backup if the state moves faster to build renewable resources, and the bill installs sufficient guardrails. The power of the Water Department to express concern about not doing so. This department does not have to comply with California's groundbreaking environmental laws to pursue new projects.

"The state says it needs to rely on the power of fossils, but it doesn't fully admit that this lack of ambition is the cause," said the California League of the Justice Energy. Equity Manager Alexis Satterman said.

Andrew Campbell, executive director of the Haas School of Business Energy Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, said the new authority of the Water Department to buy electricity is "very broad." It's an open end. " And something that "really deserves scrutiny".

California is likely to be at the forefront of a challenge that will probably hit other US states as it moves away from fossil fuels and increases the amount of energy needed off the grid, he said. Told.

"Developing a very clean electrical system and ensuring it is an unsolved challenge everywhere," he said. "And California is facing that challenge faster than anywhere else, as it has been parallel to the development of renewable energy so far."