(Corine Gatti, Headline USA) California, known for its rapid push for green energy, will delay closing three gas-fired power plants in response to the increased risks of blackouts, the Daily Caller reported.
The California Energy Commission voted Wednesday to delay the closure AES Alamitos, AES Huntington Beach and GenOn’s Ormond Beach Generating Station in Southern California through 2026, instead of closing the plants at the end of this year as originally scheduled. However, the CEC will need approval from the California State Water Resources Control Board to forward with the vote, likely determined next week, the news outlet noted.
Meanwhile, green activists were incensed over the vote and said the state needed to dig deeper in its pockets and incentivize the transition to power sources like solar and wind energy.
“As long as we have these gas plants online, we never really have to invest in clean energy solutions,” said Sierra Club campaigner Teresa Cheng, who also asked the state to develop a program that would pay for residents to decrease their energy use during periods of high demand, the Associated Press reported.
The transition to green energy has turned into a nightmare in the state. The unreliable nature of weather-dependent energy sources would demand additional backup power plants to make electricity more reliable. Last summer, officials were warned by the California Independent System Operator, the state’s electric grid operator, of a possible collapse of the grid, coupled with high demand amid a heat wave, Fox News reported.
In light of potential energy shortages, residents were advised to be vigilant about conserving power by a flex alert, including warnings to avoid charging electric vehicles whenever possible. “Flex Alerts” were issued over a 10-day period in September 2022. Ironically, these alerts came after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2020 ruling, mandating all new vehicles to be electric by 2035.
Commissioner Mark Christie stressed the need for a strategic approach to the transition from fossil fuels to renewable infrastructure without replacing output during his testimonial in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in June.
“I think we’re heading for potentially very dire consequences, potentially catastrophic consequences in the United States in terms of the reliability of our grid, and I think that the basic reason is that we’re facing a shortfall of power supply,” Christie testified.
