Wow. Good article. I had no idea we had any plants that were only running at 50% of capacity or less. We keep having brown outs and blackouts whenever summer rolls around and are told the grid is overloaded.
The article doesn’t mention why these independent plants are not running at full capacity and selling power out onto the grid to utilities in Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, and Nevada and beyond. I thought that was why we had a grid, after all. It sounds like they are not allowed to because the PUC dictates the rates and won’t let them sell to outside utilities to defray their fixed costs.
I’m just wondering when California is going to pay its bill to BCHydro for the power it “borrowed” during the energy shortfall of several years ago. I know that MY bill has gone up considerably since they failed to pay. Why am I, in another COUNTRY, having to pay California’s bill?