Clean Power SF enrollment rises; staff preparing RFOs and regulatory protests

Barbara Hill, a Clean Power SF program representative, told the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on May 23 that the program now serves about 81,000 accounts, with an opt-out rate of roughly 3.2% and 2,567 customers enrolled in the program's Super Green tier (about 3.4% of customers).

The update said Clean Power SF is preparing a request for proposals (RFP) to secure third‑party financial support before the end of the fiscal year; an RFO to acquire renewable energy from new or to‑be‑constructed plants will be issued by July; and a second RFO for operating plants will follow, likely in August. Staff also said it is finalizing a hiring plan to scale staffing as enrollment grows.

Hill reviewed regulatory work that could affect program costs and operations. The SFPUC intends to file a protest at the California Public Utilities Commission next week concerning a joint investor‑owned‑utility application that would change the procurement allocation mechanism used to compute the exit fee commonly called the PCIA. The SFPUC also said it is monitoring possible changes to bonding requirements that could raise financial obligations for community choice aggregation programs and will be active in those proceedings.

Advocates in public comment praised the enrollment and higher Super Green upgrades. Jed Holtzman of 350SF and Jason Fried, executive officer at LAFCO, credited outreach and volunteer signups with recent gains and urged further public enrollment outreach.

The Commission did not take formal votes on program policy during the update; staff said the RFP/RFO schedule and proposed regulatory filings will return as appropriate for later action or administrative follow-up.

Next steps: staff will issue the RFP/RFO schedule this summer, proceed with hiring and file the CPUC protest; the Commission asked to be kept informed of regulatory filings and major RFO outcomes.