The new resources are intended to prepare the state for more extreme weather and help replace the 2.2 GW Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, which will be shuttered by 2025, as well as 3.7 GW of natural gas plants that also are slated to retire soon.
“This is a landmark decision. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to describe it as such,” CPUC Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen said at the Thursday meeting. “This is enough to power about 2.5 million households in the state, and all this will be coming from renewable or zero-emitting resources,” he added.