California Developments Wait Months for Power

“Hundreds of residential and commercial projects face monthslong waits to get electricity in Northern California at a time when state leaders are touting an unprecedented, climate change-driven overhaul of the way power is produced and used,” reports Wes Venteicher in Politico. Planetizen recently amplified a similar story from the San Francisco Chronicle, which sounded the alarm on the issue. 

Causes of the delays include “a troubled utility, a tight labor market and aging infrastructure,” all of which could contribute to a growing crisis. The state’s beleaguered Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) utility, which provides service to roughly 16 million people in northern and central California, has been contending with a series of catastrophes and natural disasters. “Across its territory, 319 commercial and multifamily buildings were awaiting electricity connections as of February, according to Public Utilities Commission data provided to state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco),” with 95 waiting for over three months.

Notably, these wait times are significantly longer than those for other utilities in the state such as Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric. “The delays, besides raising concerns about PG&E and the broader transition, drive up construction costs in a state trying to encourage new housing and create jobs that pay enough to afford rent.” The delays have raised the cost of construction by $41 million for at least nine affordable housing developments in San Francisco, said the mayor’s office in a recent memo.

Senator Scott Wiener is proposing legislation to penalize utilities that take longer than eight weeks to provide power, which, if passed, would inject some certainty into a volatile process.