Silver State Times

The state of California was able to avoid a widespread blackout due to an ongoing heatwave that placed a high demand on gas and nuclear energy supplies for electricity.

Now, a national publication is questioning whether the state will be able to survive the next surge of demand for electricity. The Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has criticized Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s response to his state’s electricity crisis.

From 2010 to 2020, the state’s gas-fired capacity decreased by 4,390 megawatts and nuclear by 2,150 megawatts, the Editorial Board’s report said. Despite California increasing the supply of solar and wind power by 17,000 megawatts, it was on the verge of losing power to millions of homes during the heatwave.

Because of the heatwave emergency, Newsom told Californians to raise their thermostats and advised industrial businesses to temporarily close, stating that “everyone must do their part,” a video from the governor’s office said. The most recent data from Choose Energy showed that California’s average electricity cost has increased 25.4% compared to 2021. 

Additionally, the Editorial Board noted the irony of the state being on the verge of an electric breakdown given that it has pushed emergency gas-powered generators to deal with this exact scenario. These generators use fossil fuels to power electricity. Thirty percent of Los Angeles’ electricity supply comes from coal, which the board called “Newsom’s dirty little climate secret.”

The governor’s policy is in line with many in his party—including Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)—who have pushed for transitioning from fossil fuels to green energy. But the Editorial Board countered that heat waves during the summertime are not uncommon, and the green-energy push leaves millions of Americans susceptible to being left in the dark because there are not sufficient levels of reliable fossil fuels to supply the demand.

During a campaign event in Newcastle, N.H., in September 2021, President Joe Biden told a questioner, "Look into my eyes; I guarantee you we’re going to end fossil fuels.”

Cortez Masto has tweeted in support of renewable energy initiatives in the Inflation Reduction Act.

"The Inflation Reduction Act’s investments in clean energy will help Nevada continue to lead the clean-energy economy, creating good-paying jobs in the state while combating climate change," she said in the tweet.

The average cost of electricity in Nevada was 13.18 c/kwh (cents per kilowatt-hour) as of June 2022 compared to 11.22 c/kwh last year, the most recent data from Choose Energy showed. The national average has increased 11.3% when compared to 2021.

Backed by leading industry groups, Republican commissioners on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) have called for a slower transition to renewable energy in order to avoid a catastrophic electricity failure, a report from National Review said.

“We’re headed for a reliability crisis," Mark Christie, one of the commission's Republican members and a Trump appointee, said during FERC’s May monthly meeting. “We’re just not ready yet."

Meanwhile, Democrats on the commission have sought to paint power transmission issues, not the energy transition, as the reason for periodic blackouts.