Utilities
Utilities - Regulated Electric
$41.04B
28K
PG&E Corporation is a holding company whose primary operating subsidiary is Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a public utility operating in Northern and Central California. The Utility generates revenues mainly through the sale and delivery of electricity and natural gas to customers. The Utility's service area is located in a large portion of California.
Key insights and themes extracted from this filing
The Utility's electric and natural gas operating revenues increased by $122 million, or 2%, in the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. This increase was primarily due to interim rate relief authorized in the 2023 WMCE and WGSC proceedings, and increased revenues to recover electricity procurement costs and costs associated with extended operations at DCPP.
Net income decreased from $781 million to $695 million YoY. This decrease was primarily due to a $20 million decrease in interest income and a $50 million increase in wildfire-related claims, net of recoveries.
Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $646 million, or 28%, during the three months ended March 31, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. This increase was primarily due to an increase in collections driven in part by the DCPP extended operations recovery and 2023 WMCE interim rate relief, an increase in Wildfire Fund-related recoveries, and a decrease in benefits related payments.
PG&E Corporation and the Utility have taken aggressive steps designed to mitigate the threat of catastrophic wildfires. The Utility's wildfire mitigation initiatives include Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (“EPSS”), PSPS, vegetation management, asset inspections, and system hardening (such as undergrounding).
On January 29, 2025, the Utility entered into an amended and restated agreement with Citizens Energy Corporation (“Citizens”) pursuant to which the Utility may lease to Citizens entitlements to certain transmission assets. The Utility may offer Citizens up to five lease options over the term of the agreement, for a total investment by Citizens of up to $1.0 billion.
The Utility expects to submit its undergrounding plan to the OEIS in late 2025, before submitting its cost application to the CPUC, as directed in Public Utilities Code Section 8388.5.
The Utility is subject to a number of legal and regulatory requirements related to its wildfire mitigation efforts, which require periodic inspections of electric assets and ongoing reporting related to this work. Although the Utility believes that it has complied substantially with these requirements, it regularly reviews and has identified instances of noncompliance.
On April 4, 2025, the Utility submitted its 2026-2028 WMP to the OEIS. The 2026-2028 WMP provides a comprehensive overview of the Utility's wildfire mitigation strategy and incorporates lessons learned from previous years and emerging best practices.
On March 20, 2025, the Utility submitted its 2026 Cost of Capital application to the CPUC. In the application, the Utility requests a return on common equity of 11.30% and a cost of debt of 5.05%.
Despite these extensive measures, the potential that the Utility's equipment will be involved in the ignition of future wildfires, including catastrophic wildfires, is significant. This risk may be attributable to, and exacerbated by, a variety of factors, including climate change, infrastructure, and vegetation conditions.
The Utility could face fines, penalties, enforcement action, or other adverse legal or regulatory consequences for noncompliance related to wildfire mitigation efforts.
The Utility will be permitted to recover its wildfire-related claims in excess of available insurance and legal fees through rates unless the CPUC or the FERC, as applicable, determines that the Utility has not met the applicable prudency standard. The revised prudency standard under AB 1054 has not been interpreted or applied by the CPUC, and it is possible that the CPUC could interpret the standard or apply it to the relevant facts differently from how the Utility has interpreted and applied the standard, in which case the Utility may not be able to recover all or a portion of expenses that it has recorded as receivables.
Other proceedings that could impact the Utility's business profile and financial results include actions by municipalities and other public entities to acquire the electric assets of the Utility within their respective jurisdictions.
Significant changes to the electric power and natural gas industries driven by technological advancements, electrification, and the transition to a decarbonized economy; the impact of reductions in Utility customer demand for natural gas; the impact of customer demand falling short of the Utility's forecasts, driven by customer self-generation, customer departures to community choice aggregators, direct access providers, and government-owned utilities, and legislative mandates to reduce the use of natural gas.
Cyber or physical attacks, including cybersecurity breaches, acts of terrorism, war, and vandalism, on the Utility or its third-party vendors, contractors, or customers (or others with whom they have shared data) which could result in operational disruption; the misappropriation or loss of confidential or proprietary assets, information or data, including customer, employee, financial, or operating system information, or intellectual property; corruption of data; or potential remediation, compliance and other costs, lost revenues, litigation, investigations, or reputational harm.
The Utility intends to achieve such savings by improving the planning and execution of its business through increased efficiencies, including waste elimination through the Lean operating system.
Whether the Utility can control its operating costs within the authorized levels of spending; whether the Utility can continue implementing the Lean operating system and achieve projected savings; the extent to which the Utility incurs unrecoverable costs that are higher than the forecasts of such costs; the risks and uncertainties associated with inflation (including raw materials), import tariffs, and trade wars; and changes in cost forecasts or the scope and timing of planned work resulting from changes in customer demand for electricity and natural gas or other reasons.
PG&E Corporation and the Utility are assessing the impacts of changes to import tariffs, which could increase the costs they pay for goods and services, and their ability to mitigate such cost increases, including through operational, contractual, or regulatory initiatives.
Significant changes to the electric power and natural gas industries driven by technological advancements, electrification, and the transition to a decarbonized economy; the impact of reductions in Utility customer demand for natural gas; the impact of customer demand falling short of the Utility's forecasts, driven by customer self-generation, customer departures to community choice aggregators, direct access providers, and government-owned utilities, and legislative mandates to reduce the use of natural gas.
On February 24, 2025, the Utility completed the sale of (i) $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.700% First Mortgage Bonds due 2035 and (ii) $750 million aggregate principal amount of 6.150% First Mortgage Bonds due 2055. The Utility expects to use the net proceeds of such issuances for (i) the redemption or repayment of all of its $600 million aggregate principal amount of 3.500% First Mortgage Bonds due June 15, 2025, and (ii) the redemption or repayment of all of its $450 million aggregate principal amount of 4.950% First Mortgage Bonds due June 8, 2025. The Utility expects to use the remaining net proceeds from the offerings for general corporate purposes.
On April 11, 2025, the Utility amended its existing $525 million term loan agreement to extend the maturity to April 10, 2026. The loan bears interest based on the Utility's election of either (1) Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) (plus a 0.10% credit spread adjustment) plus an applicable margin of 1.375% or (2) the alternative base rate plus an applicable margin of 0.375%.
PG&E Corporation has completed the planned equity financing for its $63 billion capital expenditure plan for 2024 through 2028. Factors that could affect PG&E Corporation's planned equity issuances include liquidity and cash flow needs, capital expenditures, interest rates, its share price, its earnings, the timing and outcome of ratemaking proceedings, the timing and terms of other financings, and the outcome of the Wildfire-Related Securities Claims.
PG&E Corporation and the Utility have taken aggressive steps designed to mitigate the threat of catastrophic wildfires. The Utility's wildfire mitigation initiatives include Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (“EPSS”), PSPS, vegetation management, asset inspections, and system hardening (such as undergrounding).
The Utility's operations are subject to extensive federal, state, and local laws and permits relating to the protection of the environment and the safety and health of the Utility's personnel and the public. These laws and requirements relate to a broad range of the Utility's activities, including the remediation of hazardous substances.
The Utility continues to work with the California Coastal Commission and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to resolve any outstanding issues related to the CZU Lightning Complex fire. Violations can result in penalties, remediation, and other relief.
The Utility is subject to substantial regulation by the CPUC, the FERC, the OEIS, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”), and other federal and state regulatory agencies. The resolutions of the proceedings described below and other proceedings may materially affect PG&E Corporation's and the Utility's financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.
The Utility faces risks and uncertainties associated with inflation (including raw materials), import tariffs, and trade wars; and changes in cost forecasts or the scope and timing of planned work resulting from changes in customer demand for electricity and natural gas or other reasons.
The impact of severe weather events and other natural disasters, including wildfires and other fires, storms, tornadoes, floods, extreme heat events, drought, earthquakes, lightning, tsunamis, rising sea levels, mudslides, pandemics, solar events, electromagnetic events, wind events or other weather-related conditions, climate change, or natural disasters, and other events that can cause unplanned outages, reduce generating output, disrupt the Utility's service to customers, or damage or disrupt the facilities, operations, or information technology and systems owned by the Utility, its customers, or third parties on which the Utility relies, and the effectiveness of the Utility's efforts to prevent, mitigate, or respond to such conditions or events.