California energy officials on Thursday told the state’s utilities and other electricity providers that they must sign more contracts with renewable energy companies in an effort to boost investment before cuts to incentive programs by the Trump administration take hold.
What happened: The California Public Utilities Commission adopted a new planning framework that requires the state to procure 6 gigawatts of new clean energy during a three year period starting in 2030.
Why it matters: The move illustrates the pressure that a mega-spending law President Donald Trump signed last year, which will eliminate lucrative federal tax credits for renewable energy projects that aren’t operating by the end of 2030, has put on California energy officials. California’s goal is for the state to be entirely reliant on zero-carbon electricity by 2045, a daunting challenge that’s been made more difficult by Trump’s hostility toward renewable energy.
“This decision advances planning for the infrastructure needed to meet our 2045 climate goals and maintain system reliability through new clean supply procurement,” CPUC President Alice Reynolds, who was the lead commissioner on the proceeding, said ahead of the vote.
