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Clean Power SF says PG&E remittances resumed after Chapter 11; 280,000 accounts set for auto‑enrollment
Summary
Clean Power SF officials told the commission that PG&E’s Chapter 11 filing briefly interrupted remittances but a court order allowed payments to continue; the city program plans an April auto‑enrollment of about 280,000 accounts and will mail statutorily required notices in four batches.
Clean Power SF staff updated the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on the program’s enrollment and the effects of PG&E’s recent Chapter 11 filing. Barbara Hale, Assistant General Manager for Power, said Clean Power SF is serving about 111,000 customer accounts — roughly 4,200 of them business accounts — and that the program’s opt‑out rate is near 3.2 percent.
Hale told commissioners the program is preparing to auto‑enroll approximately 280,000 primarily residential accounts in April and has begun mailing the four statutorily required enrollment notices. ‘‘We’ll be sending these notices out in batches, about 70,000 notices per week,’’ she said, adding that the program will use community outreach, social media and district newsletters to reach customers.
Hale also briefed the commission on the implications of Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which PG&E filed on Jan. 29. She said the city had expected a possible delay in remittances because PG&E handles billing and then passes customer payments to community choice aggregators (CCAs). PG&E asked the bankruptcy court for authority to continue remittances and the court issued an order on Jan. 31 allowing remittances to continue; Hale said PG&E resumed normal payments to Clean Power SF on Feb. 4, including amounts held since Jan. 29. ‘‘So we’re all back in fully paid,’’ she told the commission, while cautioning that other creditors could contest the court’s initial ruling.
On rates, Hale said Clean Power SF’s current pricing aims to provide customers roughly a 2 percent savings against PG&E’s generation charges, after accounting for the exit fee PG&E charges to departing customers. She said the California Public Utilities Commission has issued an alternate proposal that may change how the exit fee (PCIA) is calculated for 2019; that action could shift the timeline for PG&E rate changes into April or May.
Hale said Clean Power SF had not experienced other operational impacts from the bankruptcy and that PG&E continues metering, billing and credit collection for CCA accounts under its tariffs. Commission members asked whether remittances could become subject to a restructuring settlement; Hale said it is her understanding PG&E asked to continue remittances and that the matter could still face challenges in bankruptcy court.
The update closed with staff offering to continue monitoring the bankruptcy proceedings and report back to the commission on any material changes.
