California regulators on Thursday blocked a plan to close a controversial solar power plant, overriding pleas from the facility’s owners, the utility that purchases its energy and the federal government to shut it down.
What happened: The California Public Utilities Commission voted to reject contract termination agreements that Pacific Gas & Electric negotiated with the owners of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System under the guidance of the Department of Energy.
“We will absolutely be appealing this decision,” Greg Beard, a senior adviser in the DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, said in a statement.
Why it matters: The move underscores Golden State officials’ mounting concerns that the Trump administration’s hostility to renewable energy will hamper the state’s ability to meet rising demand for power.
