Gov. Newsom Signs Emergency Proclamation to Expedite Clean Energy Projects and Relieve Demand on the Electrical Grid During Extreme Weather Events

SACRAMENTO – In the face of extreme climate impacts across the West, Gov. Gavin Newsom July 30, outlined the state’s goals to achieve a 100 percent clean electricity system that supports long-term clean energy reliability. The Governor also signed an emergency proclamation to free up energy supply to meet demand during extreme heat events and wildfires that are becoming more intense and to expedite deployment of clean energy resources this year and next year.

Gov. Newsom’s vision for the electricity system of the future will help take on the climate change impacts being felt in California and throughout the West, including extreme heat waves, drought and wildfires – which are becoming more frequent and intense, straining our electric grid.

The California Comeback Plan’s roadmap to clean energy includes: 

 Increasing the diversity of our clean energy, including solar, battery storage, onshore and offshore wind, geothermal, pumped storage and more.

Modernizing our grid and incorporating distributed energy resources.

Increasing long-duration energy storage projects.

Grid hardening and resiliency to make transmission and distribution lines more fire resistant, increasing undergrounding of lines, better detection of faults and the strategic placement of remote grids in vulnerable communities.

Reducing carbon emissions through electrification of our transportation systems, homes and businesses.

As California works toward a 100 percent clean electricity system, Gov. Newsom is acting through emergency proclamation to safeguard the state’s energy system this summer. The governor has launched contingency programs that will reduce demand and increase supply, and expedite clean energy projects to meet the challenges of record-breaking temperatures and severe drought conditions across the West that threaten California’s energy supply and limit the state’s ability to import additional energy. 

 The proclamation suspends certain permitting requirements to allow greater energy production and creates incentives so that large energy users can move to back-up power generation, freeing up energy capacity on the grid for everyone else, during critical times when extreme heat events or the interruption of transmission lines from wildfires or other causes threaten energy supply this summer. The proclamation also provides for mitigation to offset impacts from any additional emissions and commits state agencies to tracking emissions from any emergency measures requiring additional emissions.  

The proclamation includes actions to accelerate the state’s transition to clean electricity by streamlining permitting and other processes to bring new resources on-line as fast as possible this summer and by next summer, particularly battery storage projects to capture abundant renewable generation available during the day. This rapid procurement and deployment of clean energy production will help end the vicious cycle in which generating energy contributes to the very climate-impact emergencies that threaten energy supply.

The text of the proclamation can be found here.