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CPUC workshop previews PG&E 10‑year grid modernization vision ahead of 2027 rate case
Summary
At a March 2025 online workshop hosted by the California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E outlined a 10‑year grid modernization vision tied to its 2027 general rate case filing, emphasizing electrification, resilience and enabling technologies such as ADMS and DERMS.
At a March 2025 online workshop hosted by the California Public Utilities Commission’s Energy Division, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. presented an updated 10‑year grid modernization vision and invited stakeholder feedback ahead of the utility’s May 15, 2025, 2027 general rate case filing.
The workshop — required under CPUC decision D18-03-023 (the GRIDMOD decision) — focused on how PG&E plans to support increasing electrification, rising distributed energy resources (DERs) and climate-driven reliability challenges while keeping costs affordable for customers.
PG&E Director Alex Portia described the filing as “a preview, and an opportunity where…we're almost there but has not been filed yet,” and said the company sought last public input before the May filing. The utility presented a “10‑year true north strategy” that places grid modernization at the center of a broader effort to deliver resiliency and decarbonization while enabling mass electrification including transportation.
Why it matters: California policy and market forces are driving rapid increases in distributed solar, storage and electric vehicle charging; PG&E told the workshop it already serves more than 600,000 electric vehicles and more than 850,000 rooftop solar customers. The company said it expects large further growth (it described an objective of 3 million EVs in its 2030 planning horizon) and argued grid modernization investments are needed to integrate that load without simply building proportionally more wires.
PG&E framed its GridMod strategy on four pillars: infrastructure upgrades (wires and automation), enhanced monitoring and control (sensors, analytics), DER grid services (using DERs for capacity, voltage support and flexibility) and DER orchestration (coordinating DERs across grid needs). Technologies the company highlighted for the next rate case chapters included distribution planning tools, an advanced distribution management system (ADMS), distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) and grid‑edge computing.
The CPUC’s Jessica Tice (Grid Planning Team) and staff noted they expect PG&E to show what has changed since the prior rate case, how proposed investments benefit ratepayers and the status of projects and budgets. PG&E said additional studies — including an Electrification Impact Study (EIS Part 2) and other scenario analyses — are underway and may be available in related proceedings, rather than fully within the GRC record.
PG&E and CPUC staff reiterated the schedule: a May 15, 2025 GRC filing by PG&E; periodic updates to CPUC Energy Division for inclusion in the 2027 legislative report due Feb. 7, 2027; and an expected next 10‑year plan refresh tied to the subsequent GRC cycle.
The workshop closed with PG&E and CPUC staff saying the presentation materials and slide deck will be posted to the CPUC Electric General Rate Case web page and that parties should submit follow‑up questions as the filing proceeds.
