ITEM 1. BUSINESS

PG&E Corporation, incorporated in California in 1995, 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 was incorporated in California in 1905. PG&E Corporation became the holding company of the Utility and its subsidiaries in 1997. The Utility generates revenues mainly through the sale and delivery of electricity and natural gas to customers. The Utility’s service area is shown in the graphic below.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s operating revenues, income, and total assets can be found below in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The principal executive offices of PG&E Corporation and the Utility are located at 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California 94612. PG&E Corporation’s telephone number is (415) 973-1000 and the Utility’s telephone number is (415) 973-7000.

This is a combined Annual Report on Form 10-K for PG&E Corporation and the Utility. Each of PG&E Corporation and the Utility is a separate entity.

This 2023 Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that are necessarily subject to various risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of the significant risks that could affect the outcome of these forward-looking statements and PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s future financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows, see Item 1A. Risk Factors and “Forward-Looking Statements” above.

Triple Bottom Line

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s purpose is to deliver for their hometowns, serve the planet, and lead with love. In support of this purpose, the companies employ a Lean operating model designed to drive more effective and responsive decision-making, reduce the difficulties many coworkers face in their day-to-day work, and deliver better outcomes for customers and communities.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility measure their progress toward the purpose by considering their impact on the “triple bottom line” of people, planet, and prosperity, which is underpinned by performance; this consideration takes into account not only the economic value they create for customers and investors, but also their responsibility to social and environmental goals. The triple bottom line is designed to balance the interests of the companies’ many stakeholders, and it reflects the broader societal impacts of the companies’ activities.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility will continue to consider the impact on the triple bottom line of people, planet, and prosperity in their daily operations as well as in their long-term strategic decisions. The Utility will continue to seek fair and timely regulatory treatment to support its customer-driven investment plan while pursuing cost-control measures that would allow it to maintain the affordability of its service. The Lean operating system is an important means of realizing PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s objective of achieving world-class performance while delivering hometown service.

People

The people element of the triple bottom line represents PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s commitment to their workforce, their customers, the residents of local communities in which the companies do business, and other stakeholders.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s goal is to continually reduce risk to keep customers, the communities they serve, and their workforce (both employees and contractors) safe. Their focus is on continuously building an organization where every work activity is designed to facilitate safe performance, every worker knows and practices safe behaviors, and every individual is encouraged to speak up and stop work if they see unsafe or risky behavior, and has confidence that their concerns and ideas will be heard and pursued. PG&E Corporation and the Utility are committed to significantly improving their safety performance by understanding their risks, prioritizing their work, using controls to reduce risks, and continuously measuring and improving risk reduction.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s human capital resource objectives are to build and retain an engaged, well trained, diverse, and equitably-paid workforce. PG&E Corporation and the Utility place a high priority on delivering customer value and providing a hometown customer experience. The Utility’s customer-driven investment program is aimed at improving safety, increasing electric and gas reliability, and improving customer satisfaction.

For more information, see “Human Capital” below.

Planet

The planet element of the triple bottom line represents PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s commitment to protect and serve the environment. This commitment extends beyond compliance with various state and federal environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations. PG&E Corporation and the Utility believe that integrating and managing climate change and other environmental considerations in the companies’ business strategies creates long-term value for PG&E Corporation and the Utility, and for their customers, communities, coworkers, and other stakeholders. Mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change presents opportunities for growth for the Utility’s business and economic opportunity for the communities it serves.

The Utility is committed to delivering safe, clean, affordable, and reliable energy in the face of increasingly severe and extreme climate-driven natural hazards. To build resilience to these hazards, the Utility is working to systematically integrate forward-looking climate data and tools into its decision-making. PG&E Corporation and the Utility also work with policymakers and regulators to advance effective climate change policy in California, and work directly with local governments and communities on adaptation solutions.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are also committed to helping heal the planet. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Climate Strategy Report, which is available to the public, describes the companies’ climate goals and plans to meet those goals. To meet their longer-term climate goals, PG&E Corporation and the Utility intend to scale their efforts to decarbonize the energy system to accommodate a shift to vehicle electrification, integrate a proliferation of distributed energy resources, and achieve increased penetration of renewable energy combined with investments in the grid and energy storage.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are also making progress on transitioning the gas system to cleaner fuels and supporting efforts to accelerate building electrification. The objective is to do so in an orderly manner to achieve a positive customer and community experience, while reducing natural gas system investments in targeted electrified communities.

The impacts of climate change on the Utility’s infrastructure are already a reality. Record-breaking extreme heat and heat waves are increasingly a regular occurrence throughout California. Peak electric loads are expected to increase with increasing temperatures due to direct impacts of ambient temperatures on equipment and direct impacts on electricity demand driven by rising air conditioning installation and usage, and increasingly driven in the future from widespread progress in adoption of strategic electrification technologies. The Utility’s assets on the coast and in or near watersheds face potential increased exposures to coastal, riverine, and precipitation-related flooding because of climate-driven changes in precipitation and sea-level rise.

Climate change will also continue to intensify the potential for wildfires throughout California. The worsening conditions across California increase the likelihood and severity of wildfires, including those where the Utility’s equipment may be alleged to be associated with the fire’s ignition. Reducing risk will be even more important as climate change continues to exacerbate the risks facing the Utility. A key element of preparing the Utility for the physical risks of climate change is an updated and more detailed system-wide CVA of the Utility’s assets, operations, and services, which the Utility expects to file with the CPUC in mid-2024. The CVA is expected to improve the Utility’s understanding of its exposure to climate hazards and the sensitivity of assets and operations to these hazards.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility continue to pursue policies and programs that enable safe, reliable, and affordable clean and resilient energy for their customers. As a result of actions already taken by PG&E Corporation and the Utility, the companies have:

• Delivered electricity to customers in 2023 that was 100% GHG free (see “Electricity Resources” below for more information).

• Helped customers avoid emissions and manage energy costs through robust energy efficiency programs.

• Managed contracts for more than 3.5 GW of battery energy storage to be deployed over the next several years and operated 183 MW of Utility-owned battery storage, strengthening California’s grid efficiency and reliability.

• Helped enable the total number of electric vehicles operating in the Utility’s service area to exceed 550,000; installed more than 475 charging ports for electric vehicles at schools, public charging locations, and in support of fleets; and launched a first of its kind vehicle-to-grid program enabling customers to leverage their electric vehicles to power their home.

• Brought the total number of interconnected private solar customers to more than 800,000 and supported more than 70,000 customers who have installed battery storage at their homes or businesses.

• Continued to advance decarbonization initiatives for the Utility’s natural gas delivery system, including meeting the CPUC-mandated methane emission reduction target ahead of schedule and accelerated initiatives to meet its voluntary 2030 reduction goal. The Utility also launched an initiative to purchase California-produced renewable natural gas for its natural gas customers, toward a target to procure renewable natural gas to serve 15% of its bundled residential and small commercial demand by 2030. 

The CPUC coordinates the planning of supply resources through the Integrated Resource Planning (“IRP”) proceeding and has determined that replacing the power generated by Diablo Canyon is the responsibility of all LSEs within the CAISO. Looking ahead, the Utility expects its GHG-free energy supply mix of renewable, large hydroelectric, and nuclear generation resources to decrease as, beginning in 2023, the Utility was required to offer, for allocation or sale, renewable sources eligible under California's RPS program that the Utility procured on behalf of customers that subsequently switched to non-Utility providers. These requirements were established to comply with regulatory mandates and to manage customer affordability. Towards the end of the decade and beyond, the Utility’s GHG-free energy supply mix is expected to grow relative to 2025 levels as the Utility procures new GHG-free generation and storage to meet California’s IRP GHG emissions reduction targets and California’s clean energy goals. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s voluntary goal continues to be to deliver 70% RPS clean electricity by 2030, compared to a state mandate of 60% (see “Air Quality and Climate Change” below for more information).

Prosperity

The prosperity element of the triple bottom line represents PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s commitment to meeting their financial objectives and providing economic development opportunities and benefits in the communities they serve. Management believes clean energy should be affordable for and inclusive of all economic backgrounds.

Under cost-of-service ratemaking, a utility’s earnings depend on the outcomes of its ratemaking proceedings and its ability to manage costs.

See “Ratemaking Mechanisms” below and “Regulatory Matters” in Item 7. MD&A for more information on specific CPUC and FERC proceedings.

Generally, differences between forecast costs and actual costs can occur for numerous reasons, including the volume of work required and the impact of market forces on the cost of labor and materials. Differences in costs can also arise from changes in laws and regulations at both the state and federal level.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are committed to taking steps to improve their credit ratings and metrics over time, including by reducing PG&E Corporation’s debt by at least $2 billion by the end of 2026. PG&E Corporation and the Utility expect that reducing the consolidated debt will help them achieve investment grade credit ratings for their unsecured securities, for the benefit of both customers and investors. For more information, see “Liquidity and Financial Resources” in Item 7. MD&A. In 2022, an affiliate of the Utility issued an aggregate of $7.5 billion of SB 901 securitization bonds. The net proceeds were used to reimburse the Utility for previously incurred recovery costs, including the retirement of $6.0 billion of Utility debt, as of December 31, 2023.

In November 2023, the Board of Directors of PG&E Corporation reinstated the dividend on PG&E Corporation common stock, declaring a dividend of $21 million, or approximately 1 cent per share, which was paid by January 16, 2024. The Boards of Directors of PG&E Corporation and the Utility had suspended quarterly cash dividends in 2017 on both PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s common stock, as well as the Utility’s preferred stock. For more information, see “Liquidity and Financial Resources - Dividends” in Item 7. MD&A.

Total capital expenditures recorded in 2023 were $9.8 billion. The Utility’s total capital expenditures (including accruals) are forecasted to be $10.4 billion for 2024, $12.7 billion for 2025, $11.5 billion for 2026, $13.6 billion for 2027, and $14.0 billion for 2028. The Utility has identified additional opportunities for investment in the coming years in addition to its forecast, including investments in transportation electrification capacity, FERC-jurisdictional assets, electric distribution capacity, hydroelectric facilities, energy storage, information technology, and automation. The Utility also plans to submit a cost recovery application for its 10-year distribution undergrounding program pursuant to SB 884. Some of these investments depend on the Utility’s ability to generate or obtain the cash to support such investments over this period of time. The completion of projects, the timing of expenditures, and the associated cost recovery may be affected by permitting requirements and delays, construction schedules, availability of labor, equipment and materials, financing, legal and regulatory approvals and developments, community requests or protests, weather, and other unforeseen conditions.

The Utility expects to make additional capital expenditures, the recovery of which will be subject to future regulatory approval. These expenditures include capital expenditures exceeding amounts authorized in the 2023 GRC final decision issued on November 17, 2023, and expenditures to be included in a later filing or separate applications. These expenditures are expected to be primarily for wildfire mitigation and electrification. Additionally, $3.21 billion of fire risk mitigation capital expenditures has been excluded from the Utility’s equity base rate pursuant to AB 1054.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are committed to finding ways to lower the cost of providing gas and electric services for customers. The Utility’s capital investment plan, increasing procurement of renewable power and energy storage, increasing environmental regulations, and the cumulative impact of other public policy requirements collectively place continuing upward pressure on customer rates. Certain CPUC proceedings could impact different types of customers differently. The Utility has set a goal to increase customer capital investments while also limiting customer bill impacts, including by achieving operating cost savings and by seeking efficient financing. The Utility plans to meet its cost reduction goal through increased efficiencies, including waste elimination through the Lean operating system. The Utility has a number of programs in place to assist low-income customers, such as the CARE program. Under the CARE program, income-qualified customers can receive a monthly discount of 20% or more on their gas and electric bill.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Corporate Sustainability Report, which is available to the public, describes the companies’ progress toward world-class performance measured with the triple bottom line framework.

In 2022, the Utility spent $4.79 billion with certified diverse suppliers, representing 39.3% of its total spend.

Performance: Underpinning the Triple Bottom Line

PG&E Corporation and the Utility use the Lean operating system, which includes five basic “plays”: visual management; operating reviews; problem solving; standard work; and waste elimination. Visual management allows teams to see how they are performing against their most important metrics using real-time data. Teams throughout PG&E Corporation and the Utility hold daily, weekly, and monthly operating reviews designed to align the performance of workers closest to the work with the goals and objectives of senior leadership. These brief meetings help the Utility identify gaps and quickly develop plans to support the teams performing the work and give the Utility more visibility, control and predictability in its operations. Problem solving involves a structured approach to identifying, containing, analyzing, and solving problems in order to capitalize on opportunities. Standard work reduces costs and increases productivity by establishing a consistent company-wide method for completing a task. For instance, the Lean operating system helped the Utility identify patterns in the conditions of ignitions and led to the implementation of EPSS, which drove a significant reduction in facility ignitions. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s performance is also driven by an increased focus on alignment of shared outcomes among its leadership and within the organization. Waste elimination, the fifth Lean play, was deployed in 2023 and enables the companies to identify and eliminate inefficiencies in both process and workflow in a sustainable manner and drive the continued adoption of consistent processes and improvements to financial visibility and controls.

In 2023, the Utility implemented PG&E’s Safety Excellence Management System, which is a more systematic approach to assess risk and evaluate or implement controls for safe operation based on industry standards.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility have implemented a regional service model to bring the Utility closer to the hometowns it serves. Through the regional service model, the Utility has restructured its service area into five regions, with leaders assigned for each region to deliver improved public and employee safety, customer service, and operational reliability outcomes.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are committed to designing an electric system that is resilient to climate change, decarbonized, and optimized to local and system needs.

California has experienced unprecedented weather conditions in recent years and the Utility’s service area remains susceptible to additional wildfire activity. In response, the Utility has implemented operational changes and investments that reduce wildfire risk, including:

• Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings: EPSS adjusts the sensitivity of circuit protection devices on selected power lines to de-energize them in less than one-tenth of a second in the event of a disturbance to help prevent potential ignitions. After EPSS was initiated, both the size and number of CPUC-reportable ignitions were reduced substantially on EPSS-enabled circuits, compared to the prior three-year average.

• Public Safety Power Shutoffs: The PSPS program proactively de-energizes power lines in response to forecasted weather conditions. Since its inception in late 2017, the PSPS program has become more targeted through the use of more granular risk models, including incorporating more detailed data inputs. The Utility has also installed sectionalizers for more targeted de-energizations of circuits and transmission lines. These more targeted scoping criteria are engineered to reduce the number of customers impacted by any particular PSPS event. In 2023, the Utility had two PSPS events impacting a total of 5,099 customers.

• Vegetation management: The Utility inspects its overhead electric distribution and transmission facilities on an annual basis to identify and clear vegetation that might grow or fall into utility equipment. The Utility is also increasing oversight and engagement with the contractors supporting vegetation management work.

• Asset inspections: Since 2018, the Utility has reoriented its asset inspections programs toward asset condition and consequence risk, particularly wildfire risk, and these programs have become more thorough, standardized, digitized, and verifiable. The Utility uses risk-informed inspection cycles. In 2023, the Utility continued to refine its risk modeling, including further incorporating data from asset inspections. As a result of the improved inspection program, the Utility’s inspections in recent years have begun to more thoroughly identify equipment conditions.

• System hardening: System hardening entails repairing, replacing, or eliminating existing power lines in HFTDs and installing stronger and more resilient equipment. As the Utility’s asset inspections have identified more equipment conditions, the Utility has hardened its system by correcting significantly more equipment conditions than in prior years. Hardening methods also include replacing bare overhead conductor with covered conductor and installing stronger poles, removing lines, and serving customers through remote grids, or converting lines from overhead to underground. The Utility has set a goal to underground 10,000 miles of electric distribution lines in high wildfire risk areas. Undergrounding can substantially reduce ignition risk and improve reliability during storms or periods of high wildfire risk. In 2023, the Utility undergrounded 364 miles of lines, nearly double the number of miles undergrounded in 2022. Remote grids can also reduce costs and fire risks, while maintaining service to participating customers. The Utility brought online two additional “remote grids” in 2022, which allow distribution lines in HFTDs to be removed and replaced with locally sited resources.

The Utility’s equipment was not involved in the ignition of any catastrophic wildfires in 2023. The Utility also significantly reduced both the size and number of CPUC-reportable ignitions and number of acres burned in 2023, compared to prior years.

In 2023, the Utility introduced or expanded its use of several measures including downed conductor detection, partial voltage force outs, and transmission operational controls which further decreased wildfire ignition risk. These measures built on the Utility’s progress in 2022, when it expanded the EPSS program to all high fire risk areas. In addition, the Utility uses multiple weather models on a daily basis that indicate which circuits to enable with safety settings and which to put in normal protection settings, optimizing for wildfire risk reduction when needed and enhancing reliability when wildfire risk is low. In 2022, the Utility reviewed and adjusted settings to improve coordination among devices on a circuit to reduce the number of customers impacted by an outage. In 2022 and 2023, the Utility took additional steps to improve customer reliability through several targeted programs, including vegetation management activities to reduce vegetation caused outages, upgrading the system to improve sectionalization, and installing fault indicators to reduce restoration times.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are continuing to invest in a safe and reliable gas system and are working toward targeted electrification, greening the gas supply, and shaping California energy policy. The Utility has focused on continuously improving its gas operations safety record. Since the San Bruno natural gas pipeline explosion in 2010, the Utility’s asset safety efforts have included replacing distribution mains and transmission pipelines, as well as strength testing transmission pipelines. The Utility uses in-line inspections to assess the integrity of transmission pipelines. The Utility also uses safety and control systems to monitor, gather, and process real-time data on its gas system. The Utility’s gas system has not had a safety-related incident that affected the public and resulted in a fatality or injury since 2015 or 2018, respectively. In 2023, the NTSB confirmed that the Utility had successfully addressed all 12 safety recommendations relating to the San Bruno explosion.

The Utility has engaged in educating employees, contractors, and the public regarding safe digging programs and practices for their awareness during construction and when digging near the Utility’s underground gas and electric assets. The Utility also installed safety devices that automatically detect increasing pressure on systems and stop the flow of gas to avoid outages and overpressure events. Additionally, the Utility continues to streamline its efforts to respond to outages on a timely basis. The Utility’s outage response is designed to keep the public safe while limiting customer outages and returning service safely and as quickly as possible.

The Utility’s generation operations have focused on safety and reliability. Winter precipitation and snowpack provided fuel for increased hydro generation in 2023, exceeding the 15-year average. The Utility is focused on continuous improvement of asset management and work management systems to support comprehensive non-nuclear generation asset management. The goal of these efforts is to further improve project execution capabilities and capacity to deliver on asset improvements necessary for long-term safe and reliable generation.

Regulatory Environment

The Utility’s business is subject to the regulatory jurisdiction of various agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. At the state level, the Utility is regulated primarily by the CPUC. At the federal level, the Utility is regulated primarily by the FERC and the NRC. The Utility is also subject to the requirements of other federal, state and local regulatory agencies, including with respect to safety, the environment, and health, such as the NTSB and the OEIS.

This section and the “Environmental Regulation” and the “Ratemaking Mechanisms” sections below summarize some of the more significant laws, regulations, and regulatory proceedings affecting the Utility. For more information, see Item 1A. Risk Factors and “Regulatory Matters” in Item 7. MD&A.

PG&E Corporation is subject to the Public Utility Holding Company Act as a public utility holding company. The Public Utility Holding Company Act primarily obligates PG&E Corporation and its utility subsidiaries to provide access to their books and records to the FERC and the CPUC for ratemaking purposes.

California Public Utilities Commission

The CPUC is a regulatory agency that regulates privately owned public utilities in California. The CPUC has jurisdiction over the rates and terms and conditions of service for the Utility’s electric and natural gas distribution operations, electric generation, and natural gas transmission and storage services. The CPUC has also exercised jurisdiction over the Utility’s issuances of securities, dispositions of utility assets and facilities, energy purchases on behalf of the Utility’s electric and natural gas retail customers, rates of return, rates of depreciation, oversight of nuclear decommissioning, and aspects of the siting of facilities used in providing electric and natural gas utility service.

The CPUC enforces state and federal laws and regulations that set forth safety requirements pertaining to the design, construction, testing, operation, and maintenance of utility gas and electric facilities. The CPUC can impose penalties of up to $100,000 per day, per violation. The CPUC has broad discretion to determine the amount of penalties based on the totality of the circumstances, including such factors as the gravity of the violations, the type of harm caused by the violations and the number of persons affected, and the good faith of the entity charged in attempting to achieve compliance, after notification of a violation. The CPUC also is required to consider the appropriateness of the amount of the penalty to the size of the entity charged.

The CPUC has delegated authority to the SED to issue citations and impose penalties for violations identified through audits, investigations, or self-reports. Under the current gas and electric citation programs adopted by the CPUC in September 2016, the SED has discretion whether to issue a penalty for each violation. If it assesses a penalty for a violation, it has the authority to impose the maximum statutory penalty of $100,000 per day, with an administrative limit of $8 million per citation issued. Similar to penalties imposed by the CPUC, penalty payments for citations issued pursuant to the gas and electric safety citation programs are the responsibility of shareholders and may not be recovered through rates or otherwise charged to customers. The CPUC has also authorized the SED to propose for CPUC approval administrative consent orders and administrative enforcement orders when the SED deems a formal order instituting investigation unnecessary.

The California State Legislature also directs the CPUC to implement state laws and policies, such as the laws relating to wildfires and wildfire cost recovery, increasing renewable energy resources, the development and widespread deployment of distributed generation and self-generation resources, the reduction of GHG emissions, the establishment of energy storage procurement targets, and the development of a state-wide electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The CPUC is responsible for approving funding and administration of state-mandated public purpose programs such as energy efficiency and other customer programs. The CPUC also conducts audits and reviews of the Utility’s accounting, performance, and compliance with regulatory guidelines.

The CPUC has imposed various conditions that govern the relationship between the Utility and PG&E Corporation and other affiliates, including financial conditions that require PG&E Corporation’s Board of Directors to give first priority to the capital requirements of the Utility, as determined to be necessary and prudent to meet the Utility’s obligation to serve or to operate the Utility in a prudent and efficient manner. For more information on specific CPUC enforcement matters and CPUC-implemented laws and policies and the related impact on PG&E Corporation and the Utility, see Item 1A. Risk Factors, “Regulatory Matters,” “Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives,” and “Liquidity and Financial Resources” in Item 7. MD&A, and Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and California Independent System Operator Corporation

The FERC has jurisdiction over the Utility’s electric transmission revenue requirements and rates, the siting, construction, operation, maintenance, and safety obligations of substantially all of the Utility’s hydroelectric generation facilities, and the interstate sale and transportation of natural gas. The FERC regulates the interconnections of the Utility’s transmission systems with other electric systems and generation facilities, the tariffs and conditions of service of regional transmission organizations, and the terms and rates of wholesale electricity sales. The FERC also is charged with adopting and enforcing mandatory standards governing the reliability of the nation’s electric transmission grid, including standards to protect the nation’s bulk power system against potential disruptions from cyber and physical security breaches. The FERC’s approval is also required under Federal Power Act Section 203 before undertaking certain transactions, including most mergers and consolidations, certain transactions that result in a change in control of a utility, purchases of utility securities and dispositions of utility property. The FERC has authority to impose fines of up to $1 million per day for violations of certain federal statutes and regulations. For more information on specific FERC requirements and their impact on PG&E Corporation and the Utility, see Item 1A. Risk Factors, and “Regulatory Matters,” “Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives,” and “Liquidity and Financial Resources” in Item 7. MD&A and Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The CAISO is the FERC-approved regional transmission organization for the Utility’s service area. The CAISO controls the operation of the electric transmission system in most of California and a small part of Nevada and provides open access transmission service on a non-discriminatory basis. The CAISO is also responsible for planning transmission system additions, ensuring the maintenance of adequate reserves of generating capacity, ensuring that the reliability of the transmission system is maintained, and operating the wholesale power market in most of California and an interstate energy imbalance market.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The NRC oversees the licensing, construction, operation, and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, including the Utility’s two nuclear generating units at Diablo Canyon and the Utility’s independent spent fuel storage installation at Humboldt Bay. See “Electricity Resources” below. NRC regulations require extensive monitoring and review of the safety, radiological, seismic, environmental, and security aspects of these facilities. In the event of non-compliance, the NRC has the authority to impose fines or to force a shutdown of a nuclear plant, or both. NRC safety and security requirements have, in the past, necessitated that the Utility incur substantial costs at Diablo Canyon, and substantial costs could be required in the future. For more information about Diablo Canyon, see Item 1A. Risk Factors and Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Other Regulators

The CEC is a California agency with responsibility for energy policy and planning. The CEC is responsible for licensing all thermal power plants over 50 MW within California. The CEC establishes forecasts of future energy needs used by the CPUC in determining the adequacy of utilities’ and other load-serving entities’ electricity procurement. The CEC also promotes energy management and conservation programs, including setting standards for building and appliance energy efficiency and load management programs.

The CARB is the state agency responsible for setting and monitoring GHG and other emission limits. The CARB is also responsible for adopting and enforcing regulations to implement state law requirements to gradually reduce GHG emissions in California. See “Environmental Regulation - Air Quality and Climate Change” below.

The NTSB is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigations, including pipeline accidents. The NTSB also conducts special investigations and safety studies, and issues safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.

The California Geologic Energy Management Division is the state agency responsible for establishing and enforcing regulations for the operation of the Utility’s underground gas storage facilities.

The Department of Transportation’s (“DOT”) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has established regulations regarding the design, construction, operation, maintenance, integrity, safety, and security of natural gas distribution, transmission, and underground storage facilities. The DOT has certified the CPUC to administer oversight and compliance with these regulations for the entities it regulates in California.

The OEIS is a state agency responsible for reviewing and approving the Utility’s WMP and for evaluating the Utility’s implementation of the WMP. The OEIS is also responsible for reviewing and issuing the Utility’s annual safety certification, annually reviewing and approving the Utility’s executive compensation plan, conducting assessments of the Utility’s safety culture, conducting field inspections of wildfire mitigation activities, and reviewing proposed undergrounding plans under SB 884.

In addition, the Utility obtains permits, authorizations, and licenses in connection with the construction and operation of the Utility’s generation facilities, electricity transmission lines, natural gas transportation pipelines, and gas compressor station facilities. Delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain and maintain, any such permits, authorizations, or licenses could prevent construction of new facilities, limit or prevent continued operation of existing facilities, or result in significant additional costs or restrictions on operations. The Utility also periodically obtains permits, authorizations, and licenses in connection with distribution of electricity and natural gas that grant the Utility rights to occupy or use public property for the operation of the Utility’s business and to conduct certain related operations. The Utility has franchise agreements with approximately 300 cities and counties that permit the Utility to install, operate, and maintain the Utility’s electric or natural gas facilities in the public streets and highways. In exchange for the right to use public streets and highways, the Utility pays annual fees to the cities and counties. In most cases, the Utility’s franchise agreements are for an indeterminate term, with no expiration date. For more information see Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Material Effects of Compliance with Governmental Regulations

As indicated above, the Utility’s business is subject to the regulatory jurisdiction of various agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. Compliance with such extensive government regulations requires substantial expenditures and has had in the past and may continue to have in the future a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, cash flows and competitive position. For more information about costs incurred to comply with government regulations and related material effects on PG&E Corporation and the Utility, see Item 1A. Risk Factors, “Liquidity and Financial Resources” and “Regulatory Matters” in Item 7. MD&A, and Notes 14 and 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Environmental Regulation

The Utility’s operations are subject to extensive federal, state, and local laws and requirements 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 activities, including the remediation of hazardous and radioactive substances; the discharge of pollutants into the air, water, and soil; the reporting and reduction of CO and other GHG emissions; the transportation, handling, storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel; and the environmental impacts of land use, including endangered species and habitat protection.The penalties for violation of these laws and requirements can be severe and may include significant fines, damages, and criminal or civil sanctions. These laws and requirements also may require the Utility, under certain circumstances, to interrupt or curtail operations. See Item 1A. Risk Factors. Generally, the Utility recovers most of the costs of complying with environmental laws and regulations through the Utility’s rates, subject to reasonableness review. Environmental costs associated with the clean-up of most sites that contain hazardous substances are subject to a ratemaking mechanism described in Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Hazardous Substance Compliance and Remediation

The Utility’s facilities are subject to various regulations adopted by the EPA, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended. The Utility is also subject to the regulations adopted by other federal agencies responsible for implementing federal environmental laws. The Utility also must comply with environmental laws and regulations adopted by the State of California and various state and local agencies. These federal and state laws impose strict liability for the release of a hazardous substance on the (1) owner or operator of the site where the release occurred, (2) on companies that disposed of, or arranged for the disposal of, the hazardous substances, and (3) in some cases, their corporate successors. Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, these persons (known as “potentially responsible parties”) may be jointly and severally liable for the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances, monitoring and paying for the harm caused to natural resources, and paying for the costs of health studies.

The Utility has a comprehensive program in place to comply with these federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Under federal and California laws, the Utility may be responsible for remediation of hazardous substances even if it did not deposit those substances on the site. The Utility’s remediation activities are overseen by the DTSC, several California regional water quality control boards, and various other federal, state, and local agencies. The Utility has incurred significant environmental remediation liabilities associated with former MGP sites, power plant sites, gas gathering sites, sites where natural gas compressor stations are located, and sites used by the Utility for the storage, recycling, or disposal of potentially hazardous substances. Groundwater at the Utility’s Hinkley and Topock natural gas compressor stations contains hexavalent chromium as a result of the Utility’s past operating practices. The Utility is responsible for remediating this groundwater contamination and for abating the effects of the contamination on the environment.

For more information about environmental remediation liabilities, see Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Air Quality and Climate Change

The Utility’s electric generation plants, natural gas pipeline operations, vehicle fleet, and fuel storage tanks are subject to numerous air pollution control laws, including the federal Clean Air Act, as well as state and local statutes. These laws and regulations cover, among other pollutants, those contributing to the formation of ground-level ozone, carbon dioxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter, and other emissions.

Federal Regulation

At the federal level, the EPA is charged with implementation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act. Although there have been several legislative attempts to address climate change through imposition of nationwide regulatory limits on GHG emissions, comprehensive federal legislation has not yet been enacted. In the absence of federal legislative action, the EPA has used its existing authority under the Clean Air Act to address GHG emissions.

Tackling the climate crisis is a key priority of the Biden Administration, and the Administration is using its executive and regulatory authorities to target emissions reductions in line with science-based targets. On May 11, 2023, the EPA released proposed new GHG emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act. The proposal sets standards for new and existing coal and natural gas-fired plants – stringency of the standards differ based on timelines, unit type, capacity factors, and operating horizon. Most relevant to the Utility are the standards for existing natural gas units which require on affected units either the installation of carbon capture and sequestration technology beginning in 2035, or co-firing of low-GHG hydrogen beginning in 2032. The EPA expects to finalize the rule in the second quarter of 2024.

State Regulation

California laws and regulations have established the following targets:

• A 40% reduction in GHGs by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

• 50% of retail energy sales to customers from renewable energy sources by 2026 and 60% by 2030.

• Economy-wide State carbon neutrality by 2045, with net negative emissions thereafter.

• Renewable and zero-carbon resources supplying 90% of utilities’ retail sales to customers by 2035, 95% by 2040, and 100% by 2045.

For the percentage of the Utility’s estimated total net deliveries of electricity to customers in 2023, including estimated GHG-free and renewable energy percentages, see “Electric Utility Operations - Electricity Resources” below.

The CARB has also approved GHG emissions reporting and a state-wide, comprehensive cap-and-trade program that sets gradually declining limits (or “caps”) on the amount of GHGs that may be emitted by major GHG emission sources within different sectors of the economy. The cap-and-trade program has been extended through 2030. The CARB plans to update the cap-and-trade regulation in 2024 and is considering reforms that would reduce overall allowance budgets to align with CARB’s 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan.

During each year of the program, the CARB issues emission allowances (i.e., the rights to emit GHGs) equal to the amount of GHG emissions allowed for that year. Entities with a compliance obligation can obtain allowances from the CARB at quarterly auctions or from third parties or exchanges. Complying entities may also satisfy a portion of their compliance obligation through the purchase of offset credits (e.g., credits for GHG reductions achieved by third parties, such as landowners, livestock owners, and farmers, that occur outside of the entities’ facilities through CARB-qualified offset projects such as reforestation or biomass projects). The Utility expects all costs and revenues associated with the GHG cap-and-trade program to be passed through to customers.

The cap-and-trade program applies to the electric generation, large industrial, natural gas, petroleum, and transportation sectors. The Utility’s compliance obligation as a natural gas supplier applies to the GHG emissions attributable to the combustion of natural gas delivered to the Utility’s customers other than large natural gas delivery customers that are separately regulated as covered entities and have their own compliance obligations.

Climate Change Resilience Strategies

Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

During 2023, the Utility continued its programs to mitigate the impact of the Utility’s operations (including customer energy usage) on the environment, consistent with the Utility’s commitment to a healthy environment and carbon neutral-energy system for all Californians.

Adapting to the Physical Impacts of Climate Change

Effectively managing physical climate risk will become increasingly critical as the physical impacts of climate change become increasingly frequent and severe over the coming years in California. The Utility’s climate resilience efforts continue to focus on characterizing and mitigating the physical impacts of climate change to the Utility’s infrastructure, assets, and operations. The Utility is making substantial investments to build a more resilient system that can better withstand extreme weather and related emergencies. For more information on such investments, see “Performance: Underpinning the Triple Bottom Line” above.

The Utility’s preparations for the physical risks of climate change include an updated, more detailed, system‑wide CVA of the Utility’s assets, operations, and services, which will be completed and filed with the CPUC in mid-2024. The updated CVA will improve the Utility’s understanding of its exposure to climate hazards in the near- and long-term and the sensitivity of assets and operations to these hazards. It will also inform the Utility’s understanding of the ease or difficulty of various options for adapting to changing conditions.

In the past few years, the Utility’s electric distribution system has experienced multiple major outage-causing events associated with extreme heat events and peak loads. Peak loads are expected to increase with increasing temperatures due to direct impacts of ambient temperatures on equipment, increased electricity demand driven by rising air conditioning installation and usage, and continued electrification of transportation and buildings.

The Utility’s assets on the coast and in or near watersheds face potential increased exposures to coastal, riverine (fluvial), and precipitation related (pluvial) flooding because of climate‑driven changes in precipitation and sea level rise. The risk of damage to or interruptions of operations at facilities such as substations is predicted to increase over time due to sea level rise. Electric and gas equipment and safe access for operations must be prepared for these changing conditions.

Changing precipitation dynamics may impact the Utility’s hydroelectric generation. Diminishing future water availability and altered runoff timing during extreme drought poses risks to hydropower generation, operations, and revenue. Also, extreme rain events suggest enhanced risk of hydropower asset damage or failure associated with flooding, which in the worst cases (e.g., uncontrolled water release) may have catastrophic impacts.

Climate change will also continue to intensify the potential for wildfires throughout California. Models incorporating future temperature and precipitation projections suggest that landscape susceptibility to wildfire within the Utility’s service area will continue to increase over time, with an expansion of areas that may become HFTD and an intensification of risk within HFTDs. Climate change may also result in increased potential of lines to cause ignitions or to require PSPS events, as well as the potential for the Utility’s equipment to sustain damage from wildfires of any origin.

The Utility’s updated CVA will be used to inform changes to design and construction standards for equipment and facilities to increase infrastructure resilience to current and future extreme weather conditions. Results from the updated CVA will be incorporated into the Utility’s key risk and planning functions, as well as asset management strategy, to identify priority adaptive actions.

The Utility has also engaged with CPUC-designated disadvantaged and vulnerable communities throughout the CVA process to better understand customer perspectives regarding energy system resilience. The Utility has conducted regional community engagement campaigns throughout its service area to understand how some of the most vulnerable communities the Utility serves think about climate hazards and adaptation. This information will help the Utility plan adaptive climate action aligned with customer and community perspectives.

In addition to updating the CVA, the Utility regularly reviews relevant scientific literature regarding climate change to incorporate appropriate information into its operations. For example, based on a report about potential major atmospheric river events, the Utility updated and modified its flooding emergency response plan.

The Utility’s commitment to increasing resilience to climate change includes aligning its resources and business strategy with California’s clean energy goals, the Utility’s climate strategy, and advocating for policies and programs that enable safe and reliable energy for the Utility’s customers in light of climate change. For example, the Utility believes its strategies to reduce GHG emissions through energy efficiency and demand response programs, infrastructure improvements, and the use of renewable energy and energy storage will help it adapt to the expected increases in demand for electricity.

Emissions Data

PG&E Corporation and the Utility track and report their annual environmental performance results across a broad spectrum of areas. The Utility reports its GHG emissions to the CARB and the EPA on a mandatory basis. On a voluntary basis, the Utility reports a more comprehensive emissions inventory to The Climate Registry, a non-profit organization.

The following table shows the Utility’s third-party verified voluntary GHG inventory reported to The Climate Registry for 2022, which is the most recent data available.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility also publish additional GHG emissions data in their annual Corporate Sustainability Report.

Emissions Scope						Amount (metric tons CO2 equivalent)
Scope 1 and 2 emissions (1)						3,372,509
Scope 3 emissions (2)						38,753,533

(1) Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from the Utility’s operations and Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from facility electricity use and electric line losses.

(2) Scope 3 emissions are emissions resulting from downstream value chain activities not owned or controlled by the Utility but that which can be indirectly impacted by the Utility’s actions. The majority of these emissions came from customer natural gas use.

The Utility utilized the CEC’s Power Source Disclosure program methodology to calculate the CO emissions rate associated with the electricity delivered to retail customers in 2022. This resulted in a third-party verified CO emissions rate of 56 pounds of CO per MWh.

Air Emissions Data for Utility-Owned Generation

In addition to GHG emissions data provided above, the table below sets forth information about the air emissions from the Utility’s owned generation facilities. PG&E Corporation and the Utility also publish air emissions data in their annual Corporate Sustainability Report.

	2022	2021
Total NOx emissions (tons)	121	139
NOx emissions rate (pounds/MWh)	0.01	0.01
Total SO2 emissions (tons)	11	14
SO2 emissions rate (pounds/MWh)	0.001	0.001

Nuclear Fuel Disposal

Nuclear power plant operations produce gaseous, liquid, and solid radioactive wastes, which are covered by federal regulation. High-level radioactive wastes primarily include used nuclear fuel. Low-level waste consists primarily of demineralizer resins, paper, protective clothing, rags, tools, and equipment contaminated through use.

Under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, the DOE and electric utilities with commercial nuclear power plants were authorized to enter into contracts under which the DOE would be required to dispose of the utilities’ spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste by January 1998, in exchange for fees paid by the utilities’ customers. The DOE has been unable to meet its contractual obligation with the Utility to dispose of nuclear waste from the Utility’s two nuclear generating units at Diablo Canyon and the retired nuclear facility at Humboldt Bay. As a result, the Utility constructed interim dry cask storage facilities to store its spent fuel onsite at Diablo Canyon and at Humboldt Bay until the DOE fulfills its contractual obligation to take possession of the spent fuel. The Utility and other nuclear power plant owners sued the DOE to recover the costs that they incurred to construct interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel.

Ratemaking Mechanisms

The Utility operates under a “cost-of-service” ratemaking model, which means that rates for electric and natural gas utility services are generally set at levels that are intended to allow the Utility to recover its costs of providing service and to earn a return on invested capital (“cost-of-service ratemaking”). To set rates, the CPUC and the FERC conduct proceedings to determine the amount that the Utility will be authorized to collect from its customers (“revenue requirements”). In the GRC proceedings, the CPUC also generally approves the level of spending on a forecasted basis. Revenue authorized by the CPUC through GRC proceedings is intended to provide the Utility a reasonable opportunity to recover its costs and earn a return on its investments in generation and distribution assets and general plant (also referred to as “rate base”). The Utility’s revenue requirements consist primarily of a base amount set to enable the Utility to recover its reasonable operating expenses (e.g., maintenance, administration, and general expenses) and capital costs (e.g., depreciation, and financing expenses).

The Utility’s costs of equity and long-term debt are generally approved in the CPUC’s cost of capital proceedings.

As a result, the Utility’s CPUC-jurisdictional revenue requirement is the sum of the following:

• expenses;

• depreciation;

• taxes; and

• the product of the Utility’s rate of return (i.e., the cost of capital for long-term debt and equity) and its rate base.

In addition to the Utility’s revenue requirement, the CPUC authorizes the Utility to collect revenues to recover costs that the Utility is allowed to “pass through” to customers, including its costs to procure electricity and natural gas for customers and to administer public purpose and customer programs.

FERC revenue requirements are set through a FERC-approved formula rate. The Utility’s rate of return on electric transmission assets is determined in the FERC TO proceedings.

Customer rates are determined by dividing the revenues that the Utility is authorized to collect from customers by the amount of power that the Utility is forecasted to sell. Increases in load spread the Utility’s revenue requirement over a larger usage base, which reduces customer rates, but also increases fuel costs, which are passed through to customers.

Other than certain gas transmission and storage revenues, the Utility’s base revenues are “decoupled” from its sales volume through certain regulatory balancing accounts, or revenue adjustment mechanisms, that are designed to allow the Utility to collect its authorized base revenue requirements regardless of sales volume. As a result, the Utility’s base revenues are not impacted by fluctuations in sales resulting from, for example, weather or economic conditions. The Utility’s earnings primarily depend on its ability to manage its base operating and capital costs within its authorized base revenue requirements.

Due to the seasonal nature of the Utility’s business and rate design, customer electric bills are generally higher during summer months (May to October) because of higher demand, driven by air conditioning loads. Customer bills related to gas service are generally higher during winter months (November to March) because of higher demand due to heating.

From time to time, the CPUC may use incentive ratemaking mechanisms that provide the Utility an opportunity to earn additional revenues. For example, the Utility has earned incentives for the successful implementation of energy efficiency programs.

See “Regulatory Matters” in Item 7. MD&A for more information on specific CPUC proceedings.

Base Revenues

General Rate Cases

The GRC is the primary proceeding in which the CPUC determines the amount of base revenue requirements that the Utility is authorized to collect from customers to recover the Utility’s anticipated costs related to its electric distribution, natural gas distribution, and Utility-owned electric generation operations and return on rate base. In the past, the CPUC has generally conducted a GRC every three years. Starting with the 2023 GRC, the CPUC now conducts a GRC every four years that includes the Utility’s costs of its gas transmission and storage facilities. The CPUC approves the annual revenue requirements for the first year (or “test year”) of the GRC period and typically authorizes the Utility to receive annual increases in revenue requirements for the subsequent years of the GRC period (known as “attrition years”). Attrition year rate adjustments are generally authorized for cost increases related to invested capital and inflation. Parties to the Utility’s GRC include the Public Advocates Office of the CPUC (formerly known as Office of Ratepayer Advocates or ORA) and TURN, which generally represent the interests of residential customers, as well as numerous intervenors that represent other business, community, customer, environmental, and union interests. For more information about the Utility’s GRC, see “Regulatory Matters - 2023 General Rate Case” in Item 7. MD&A.

Cost of Capital Proceedings

The CPUC periodically conducts a cost of capital proceeding to authorize the Utility’s capital structure and rates of return for its electric generation, electric and natural gas distribution, and natural gas transmission and storage rate base. The rate of return, or cost of capital, is the weighted average cost of debt, preferred equity, and common stock a utility has issued to finance its utility capital investments. The CPUC’s cost of capital proceedings generally take place in a consolidated proceeding with California’s other large investor-owned electric and gas utilities. For more information about the cost of capital proceedings, see “Regulatory Matters - Cost of Capital Proceedings” in Item 7. MD&A.

Electricity Transmission Owner Rate Cases

The FERC determines the amount of authorized revenue requirements, including the rate of return on electric transmission assets, that the Utility may collect through rates in the TO rate case. In its TO rate cases, the Utility uses a formula rate methodology, which includes an authorized revenue requirement and rate base for a given year but also provides for an annual update of the previous year’s revenue requirement and rates in accordance with the terms of the FERC-approved formula. Under the formula rate mechanism, transmission revenue requirements are updated to the actual cost of service annually as part of the true-up process. Differences between amounts collected and determined under the formula rate are either collected from or refunded to customers. These FERC-approved rates are included by the CPUC in the Utility’s retail electric rates and by the CAISO in its transmission access charges to wholesale customers. For more information, see “Regulatory Matters - Transmission Owner Rate Cases” in Item 7. MD&A. The Utility also recovers a portion of its revenue requirements for its wholesale electric transmission costs through charges collected under specific contracts with wholesale transmission customers that the Utility entered into before the CAISO began its operations. These wholesale customers are charged individualized rates based on the terms of their contracts.

Program-Specific Memorandum Account and Balancing Account Costs

Periodically, costs arise outside of the CPUC’s GRC proceedings or that have been deliberately excluded therefrom. These costs may result from catastrophic events, changes in regulation, new programs, or extraordinary changes in operating practices. The Utility may seek authority to track incremental costs in a memorandum account, and the CPUC may authorize recovery of costs tracked in memorandum accounts if the costs are deemed reasonable. For instance, these accounts allow the Utility to track the costs associated with work related to disaster and wildfire response, and other wildfire prevention-related costs. Recovery of the costs tracked in these memorandum accounts through rates requires CPUC authorization in separate proceedings, the outcome of which the Utility may be unable to predict. Alternatively, the Utility may seek authority to track incremental costs related to these non-GRC programs in balancing accounts. The CPUC may authorize recovery of costs tracked in the balancing accounts on either a “one-way” basis, which typically only allows actual costs to be recovered up to a pre-established cap, or a “two-way” basis, which typically allows actual costs to be recovered, and in some cases subject to further CPUC review. For more information, see “Regulatory Matters - Cost Recovery Proceedings” in Item 7. MD&A and Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Diablo Canyon Extended Operations

During the period of extended operations and in lieu of the traditional rate-based return on investment, SB 846 provides for a fixed payment of $50 million, in 2022 dollars, for each of Diablo Canyon’s Unit 1 and Unit 2 for each year of extended operations to be recovered from customers of all CPUC-jurisdictional LSEs, which is potentially subject to adjustment downward in the event of extended unplanned outages. In addition, SB 846 authorizes a volumetric payment totaling $13 (in 2022 dollars) for each MWh generated by Diablo Canyon during the period of extended operations, with the first half recovered from all CPUC-jurisdictional LSEs and the second half from customers in the Utility’s service area. The amount of the fixed and volumetric payments will be adjusted annually by the CPUC using CPUC-approved escalation methodologies and adjustment factors. The volumetric payment cannot be realized as shareholder profits or paid out as dividends, to the extent it is not needed for Diablo Canyon. The legislation includes language that limits use of the volumetric payment to investments in the system and for customers that address critical state priorities.

Revenues to Recover Energy Procurement and Other Pass-Through Costs

Electricity Procurement Costs

California IOUs are responsible for procuring electrical capacity required to meet bundled customer demand, plus applicable reserve margins. The utilities are responsible for scheduling and bidding electric generation resources, including certain electricity procured from third parties, into the wholesale market to meet customer demand according to which resources are the least expensive (i.e., using the principles of “least-cost dispatch”). In addition, the utilities are required to obtain CPUC approval of their BPPs based on long-term demand forecasts. In October 2015, the CPUC approved the Utility’s most recent comprehensive BPP. It has been revised since its initial approval, and the revised version will remain in effect, subject to any further revisions, until superseded by a subsequent CPUC-approved plan.

California law allows electric utilities to recover the costs incurred in compliance with their CPUC-approved BPPs without further after-the-fact reasonableness review by the CPUC. The CPUC may disallow costs associated with electricity purchases if the costs were not incurred in compliance with the CPUC-approved plan or if the CPUC determines that the utility failed to follow the principles of least-cost dispatch. Additionally, the CPUC may disallow the value of lost generation due to unplanned outages at utility-owned generation facilities.

The Utility recovers its electric procurement costs annually primarily through balancing accounts. See Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. Each year, the CPUC reviews the Utility’s forecasted procurement costs related to power purchase agreements, derivative instruments, GHG emissions costs, and generation fuel expense, and approves a forecasted revenue requirement. The CPUC may adjust the Utility’s retail electric rates more frequently if the forecasted aggregate over-collections or under-collections in the Energy Resource Recovery Account, net of bundled service customer Portfolio Allocation Balancing Account balances, exceed five percent of its prior year electric procurement and Utility-owned generation revenues. The CPUC performs an annual compliance review of the procurement transactions recovered in various balancing accounts, including the Energy Resource Recovery Account and the Portfolio Allocation Balancing Account.

The CPUC has approved various power purchase agreements into which the Utility has entered with third parties in accordance with the Utility’s CPUC-approved BPP, to meet mandatory renewable energy targets, and to comply with RA requirements. For more information, see “Electric Utility Operations - Electricity Resources” below as well as Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The Utility is also responsible, as the central procurement entity (“CPE”) for its distribution service area, for seeking to procure the entire amount of required local RA on behalf of all CPUC-jurisdictional LSEs in its distribution service area. CPUC decisions grant the Utility, acting as CPE, discretion to defer procurement of local resources to the CAISO’s backstop mechanisms if bid costs are deemed unreasonably high. The Utility, as the CPE, will not be assessed fines or penalties for failing to procure resources to meet the local RA requirements and deferring local procurement to the CAISO backstop mechanism, so long as the CPE exercised reasonable efforts to secure capacity and certain specified requirements are met. In addition, the Utility, as the CPE, has been ordered or authorized to seek to procure specific local capacity products pursuant to CPUC decisions. In connection with its CPE function, the Utility is responsible for making compliance demonstrations to the CPUC and the CAISO. The Utility recovers its administrative and procurement costs associated with its CPE function through a balancing account. Each year, the CPUC reviews the Utility’s forecasted administrative costs related to the CPE function and approves a forecasted revenue requirement associated with the administrative costs. The CPUC performs an annual compliance review of the CPE function, including procurement transactions with terms of five years or less (for which costs incurred in compliance with certain prescribed criteria are deemed reasonable and pre-approved without further after-the-fact reasonableness review). Procurement transactions with terms exceeding five years are reviewed separately. The CPUC may disallow costs associated with the CPE function that were not incurred in compliance with the CPUC’s decisions and guidance.

The CPUC has also approved the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (“PCIA”). The PCIA is a cost recovery mechanism to ensure that customers who switch from the Utility’s bundled service to a non-Utility provider, such as a DA or CCA provider, pay their share of the above-market costs associated with long-term power purchase commitments and Utility-owned generation made on their behalf.

Natural Gas Procurement, Storage, and Transportation Costs

The Utility recovers the cost of gas used in generation facilities as a cost of electricity that is recovered annually through retail electric rates.

The Utility sets the natural gas procurement rate for small commercial and residential customers (referred to as “core” customers) monthly, based on the forecasted costs of natural gas, core pipeline capacity and storage costs. The Utility recovers the cost of gas purchased on behalf of core customers as well as the cost of derivative instruments for its core gas portfolio, through its retail gas rates, subject to limits as set forth in its CPIM described below. The Utility reflects the difference between actual natural gas purchase costs and forecasted natural gas purchase costs in several natural gas balancing accounts, with adjustments for under-collections and over-collections made in subsequent monthly rate changes.

The CPIM protects the Utility against after-the-fact reasonableness reviews of its gas procurement costs for its core gas portfolio. Under the CPIM, the Utility’s natural gas purchase costs for a fixed 12-month period are compared to an aggregate market-based benchmark based on a weighted average of published monthly and daily natural gas price indices at the points where the Utility typically purchases natural gas. Costs that fall within a tolerance band, which is 99% to 102% of the commodity benchmark, are considered reasonable and are fully recovered through rates. One-half of the costs above 102% of the benchmark are recoverable through rates, and the Utility’s customers receive in their rates 80% of any savings resulting from the Utility’s cost of natural gas that is less than 99% of the benchmark. The Utility retains the remaining amount of these savings as incentive revenues, subject to a cap equal to 1.5% of total natural gas commodity costs. While this mechanism remains in place, changes in the price of natural gas, consistent with the market-based benchmark, are not expected to materially impact net income.

The Utility incurs transportation costs under various agreements with interstate and Canadian third-party transportation service providers. These providers transport natural gas from the points at which the Utility takes delivery of natural gas (typically in Canada, the U.S. Rocky Mountains, and the southwestern United States) to the points at which the Utility’s natural gas transportation system begins. These agreements are governed by FERC-approved tariffs that detail rates, rules, and terms of service for the provision of natural gas transportation services to the Utility on interstate and Canadian pipelines. The FERC approves the United States tariffs governing payments by shippers (including the Utility) for pipeline service, and the Canada Energy Regulator, the Canadian regulatory agency, approves the applicable Canadian tariffs. The transportation costs the Utility incurs under these agreements are recovered through CPUC-approved rates as core natural gas procurement costs or as a cost of electricity.

Costs Associated with Public Purpose and Customer Programs

The CPUC authorizes the Utility to recover the costs of various public purpose and other customer programs through the collection of rates from most Utility customers. These programs relate to energy efficiency, demand response, distributed generation, energy research and development, and other matters. Additionally, the CPUC has authorized the Utility to provide discounted rates for specified types of customers, such as for low-income customers under the CARE program, which is paid for by the Utility’s other customers.

Nuclear Decommissioning Costs

The Utility’s nuclear power facilities consist of two units at Diablo Canyon and the retired facility at Humboldt Bay. Nuclear decommissioning requires the safe removal of nuclear facilities from service and the reduction of residual radioactivity to a level that permits termination of the NRC license and release of the property for unrestricted use. Nuclear decommissioning costs are generally collected in advance through rates and are held in nuclear decommissioning trusts to be used for the eventual decommissioning of each nuclear unit. The Utility files an application with the CPUC every three years requesting approval of the Utility’s updated estimated decommissioning costs and any rate change necessary to fully fund the nuclear decommissioning trusts to the levels needed to decommission the Utility’s nuclear plants. If the nuclear decommissioning trusts are overfunded, the amount of such overfunding will be returned to customers. Pursuant to Public Utilities Code Section 8325, to the extent the monies available for decommissioning are insufficient to pay for all reasonable and prudent decommissioning costs, the CPUC must authorize the electric utility to collect these charges from its customers.

For costs related to AROs, see “Asset Retirement Obligations” in Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Human Capital

Employees and Contractors

As of December 31, 2023, PG&E Corporation had 10 employees and the Utility had approximately 28,000 regular employees. Of the Utility’s regular employees, approximately 17,000 are covered by collective bargaining agreements with the local chapters of three labor unions: the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (“IBEW”) Local 1245; the Engineers and Scientists of California (“ESC”) IFPTE 20; and the Service Employees International Union Local 24/7 (“SEIU”). The collective bargaining agreements in effect for the IBEW Local 1245, ESC Local 20, and SEIU United Service Workers West, are set to expire on December 31, 2025. The agreements increase wages annually by 3.75% from 2022 through 2025 and maintain current contributions to specified benefits. The IBEW, ESC, and SEIU represent approximately 63% of the Utility’s employee workforce and support several areas of the Utility’s business, including gas and electric operations. The Utility enjoys stable and productive relationships with its unions and did not experience any work stoppages in 2023.

PG&E Corporation’s employees are primarily at the executive management level. The Utility generally has a stable workforce. The Utility’s turnover rates for 2023 and 2022 were 4.0% and 7.1%, respectively. Approximately 42% of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s employees have a tenure of more than 10 years, with an average tenure of 11 years. Approximately 18% of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s employees are eligible to retire. (PG&E Corporation and the Utility define retirement age as 55 years and older.)

The Utility’s contractors and subcontractors include approximately 30,000 individuals from approximately 1,000 contractor companies.

Human Capital Management

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s human capital resource objectives are to build and retain an engaged, well trained, diverse, and equitable workforce. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Boards of Directors are responsible for overseeing management’s development and execution of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s human capital strategy.

To build employee engagement, the Utility has a variety of both executive-level and employee-led initiatives and programs. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s executive teams meet regularly to discuss and evaluate the state of employee talent, determine which programs are driving engagement and performance, and clarify the specific skills, behaviors, and virtues that should be cultivated. Each year, the Utility honors employees whose work embodies safety, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, environmental leadership, innovation, and community service. The Utility conducts an annual employee survey to measure and improve employee engagement.

Every year, PG&E Corporation and the Utility offer or require technical, leadership, and employee training, which includes a range of technical training for employees on the knowledge and skills required to perform their jobs safely using approved tools and work procedures. In addition, employees are required to complete annual compliance and ethics training and a Code of Conduct training, both of which are intended to promote a culture in which employees are encouraged to speak up with any concerns or ideas for continuous improvement. In addition, the Utility offers a variety of other trainings and education opportunities. In 2023, the Utility significantly expanded its training for supervisors.

Among other programs, the Utility provides career opportunities through its PowerPathway™ workforce development program. Launched in 2008, PowerPathway is a workforce development model to enlarge the talent pool of local, qualified, diverse candidates for skilled craft and utility industry jobs through training program partnerships with educational, community-based and government organizations. PowerPathway helps people throughout the Utility’s service area, including women and military veterans, prepare and compete for high demand jobs in the utility and energy industry. Students receive approximately eight weeks of industry-informed curriculum to ensure the academic, job specific, employability skills and physical training necessary to effectively compete for entry-level employment. Programs may also include hands-on training and on-the-job training.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility also provide integrated solutions and programs for employee health and wellness that encompass physical, mental, and financial health. These resources include several on-site or near-site health clinics, annual health screenings, health management tools, ergonomic support, and injury management programs, in addition to more traditional programs.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial incentives offered to employees include a Short-Term Incentive Plan (“STIP”), an at-risk part of employee compensation designed to reward eligible employees for achieving specific performance goals. The 2023 STIP was focused on company objectives of safety, customer impact, and financial health.

All PG&E Corporation and Utility officer compensation currently is funded by shareholders.

Safety

The Utility’s strategy to deliver on safety outcomes focuses on workforce and public safety. In 2023, in addition to deploying a safety management system, the Utility targets mitigations to the highest risk work. The Utility’s safety metrics include the number of actual serious incidents or fatalities (“SIF-A”) incidents and the “SIF-P” rate, which measures events that could have resulted in a SIF-A per 200,000 hours worked. In 2023, the Utility had four SIF-A incidents, which resulted in two fatalities and two serious injuries, and a SIF-P rate of 0.1. Additionally, the Utility measures DART (days away, restricted or transferred duty per 200,000 hours worked). In 2023, the Utility’s DART was 0.7. In particular, the Utility improved safety through the reduction of preventable motor vehicle incidents (“PMVI”). In 2023, the Utility’s PMVI rate was the lowest rate in the last eight years.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s goal is to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce culture where all employees find it enjoyable to work with and for PG&E Corporation and the Utility and feel they belong. These efforts are led by PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer, in partnership with the executive team. The People and Compensation Committee of PG&E Corporation’s Board of Directors reviews the companies’ diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging strategy, practices, and performance.

Key elements of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s approach include active programming to heighten cultural awareness, encourage understanding and appreciation of diversity, and integrate thoughtful content into training, development, and performance support resources.

Additionally, the Utility’s 12 Employee Resource Groups and three Engineering Network Groups execute enterprise-wide employee programming, nominated employees lead efforts within their departments, and other specialized teams facilitate dialogue across the companies.

In 2023, women, minorities, and military veterans accounted for approximately 26%, 50%, and 7%, respectively, of total PG&E Corporation and Utility employees. Approximately 9% of the Utility’s employees are younger than 30, 62% are between the ages of 30 and 49, and 29% are 50 or older.

Electric Utility Operations

The Utility generates electricity and provides electric transmission and distribution services throughout its service area in northern and central California to residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers. The Utility provides electricity, transmission, and distribution services in its service area. Customers also can obtain electricity from alternative providers such as municipalities or CCAs, as well as from self-generation resources, such as rooftop solar installations. For more information, see “Competition” below.

Electricity Resources

The Utility is required to maintain adequate capacity to meet its customers’ demand for electricity (“load”), including peak demand and planning and operating reserves, deliverable to the locations and at times as may be necessary to provide reliable electric service. The Utility is responsible for scheduling and bidding electric generation resources, including certain electricity procured from third parties into the wholesale market, to meet customer demand.

The following table shows the percentage of the Utility’s estimated total net deliveries of electricity to customers in 2023 represented by each major electric resource, and further discussed below. The Utility’s deliveries were primarily from renewable energy resources that qualify under California’s RPS and other GHG-free resources (i.e., nuclear, and large hydroelectric generation). California’s RPS requirements and SB 100 goal is to serve 100% of retail electricity sales with GHG-free resources by 2045. For more information about California’s RPS requirements and clean energy goals, see further below and in the Environmental Regulation section above.

The total estimated electricity generated, procured, and sold (net), as of December 31, 2023 was 26,018 GWh (1) and comprised of the following:

	Percent of customer retail sales (estimated procurement)		CEC reporting methodology adjustment(2)		Percent of customer retail sales (estimated Power Content Label) (2)
Owned generation facilities
Renewable (3)	2	%	—	%	2	%
Nuclear	58	%	(5)	%	53	%
Large hydroelectric	15	%	(2)	%	13	%
Fossil fuel-fired (4)	25	%	(25)	%	—	%
Total	100	%	(32)	%	68	%

Third-party purchase agreements
Renewable (3)	35	%	(3)	%	32	%
Fossil fuel-fired (4)	14	%	(14)	%	—	%
Total	49	%	(17)	%	32	%
Others, net (2)(5)	(49)	%	49	%	—	%

TOTAL	100	%	—	%	100	%
Total renewable energy resources (3)	37	%	(3)	%	34	%
GHG-free resources (6)	110	%	(10)	%	100	%

(1) This amount excludes electricity provided by DA providers and CCAs that procure their own supplies of electricity for their respective customers.

(2) The allocation of “Others, net” in the “CEC Reporting Methodology Adjustment” and “Power Content Label” columns is consistent with current CEC guidelines as an adjustment mechanism to apply, as specified. Total reported generation and procurement volumes equate to actual electric retail sales.

(3) Amounts include biopower (e.g., biogas, biomass), solar, wind, certain hydroelectric (i.e., 30MW or less), and geothermal facilities. The eligible renewable percentages above do not reflect RPS compliance, which is determined using a different methodology.

(4) Amounts consist primarily of natural gas facilities.

(5) Amount is mainly comprised of net CAISO open market (sales)/purchases.

(6) Amount is comprised of renewable, nuclear, and large hydroelectric facility resources generated, procured, and sold.

Renewable Energy Resources

California law established an RPS that requires LSEs, such as the Utility, to gradually increase the amount of renewable energy they deliver to their customers. See “Environmental Regulation - Air Quality and Climate Change” above. The Utility may in the future incur additional costs to procure renewable energy to meet the new renewable energy targets, which the Utility expects will continue to be recoverable through rates as “pass-through” costs. The Utility also may be subject to penalties for failure to meet the higher targets.

Renewable generation resources, for purposes of the RPS requirements, include bioenergy such as biogas and biomass, certain hydroelectric facilities (30 MW or less), wind, solar, and geothermal energy. RPS requirements are based on procurement, which aligns with the methodology presented in the first column of the table above. Procurement from renewable energy sources was estimated to comprise 37% of total annual retail sales in 2023. Per the Power Content Label methodology based on current CEC guidelines presented in the table above, an estimated 34% of the Utility’s energy deliveries were from renewable energy sources in 2023.

The estimated total renewable deliveries as of December 31, 2023, shown above was 9,676 GWh and comprised of the following:

Type	Percent of Customer Retail Sales (estimated procurement)(1)
Biopower	4	%
Geothermal	—	%
RPS-Eligible Small Hydroelectric	3	%
Solar	24	%
Wind	6	%
Total	37	%

(1) Estimated renewable procurement percentages above and renewable compliance percentages are expected to be consistent; however, final RPS compliance reporting is subject to a different methodology and may result in differences between the two percentages.

Energy Storage

Energy storage improves system reliability and supports California’s decarbonization goals by integrating increased levels of renewable energy. The CPUC has established a multi-year energy storage procurement framework, under which the Utility was required to procure 580 MW of qualifying storage capacity by the end of 2020, with all energy storage projects required to be operational by the end of 2024. As of December 31, 2023, the Utility was on track to meet its storage goals by the end of 2024.

Additionally, the Utility has been actively procuring energy storage to meet critical reliability needs. The CPUC previously approved more than 1,100 MW of storage to come online in 2022 and 2023. In January 2022, the Utility also requested CPUC approval for another 1,600 MW of storage to be completed by the summer of 2024, which would bring the Utility’s total energy storage system capacity to more than 3,330 MW. Finally, the Utility is soliciting 200 MW of long-duration storage, which is storage with at least eight hours of discharge capacity, to have these resources online between 2026 and 2028. In order to address both its bundled portfolio need and to help to meet State planning and policy objectives to increase long-duration storage capacity after 2028, the Utility is pursuing regulatory approval to increase the nameplate generating capacity of its Helms Pumped Storage Facility.

Owned Generation Facilities

At December 31, 2023, the Utility owned the following generation facilities, all located in California, listed by energy source and further described below:

Generation Type	County Location	Number of Units	Net Operating Capacity (MW)
Nuclear (1):
Diablo Canyon	San Luis Obispo	2	2,240
Hydroelectric (2):
Conventional	16 counties in northern and central California	96	2,633
Helms pumped storage	Fresno	3	1,212
Fossil fuel-fired:
Colusa Generating Station	Colusa	1	657
Gateway Generating Station	Contra Costa	1	580
Humboldt Bay Generating Station	Humboldt	10	163
Elkhorn Battery Energy Storage System	Monterey County	1	183
Photovoltaic (3):	Various	13	152
Total		127	7,820

(1) The Utility’s Diablo Canyon power plant consists of two nuclear power reactor units, Units 1 and 2. The NRC operating licenses currently expire in 2024 and 2025, respectively. For more information, see “Extension of Diablo Canyon Operations” in Item 7. MD&A below.

(2) The Utility’s hydroelectric system consists of 99 generating units at 61 powerhouses. All of the Utility’s powerhouses are licensed by the FERC (except for two small powerhouses not subject to the FERC’s licensing requirements), with license terms between 30 and 50 years.

(3) The Utility’s large photovoltaic facilities are Cantua solar station (20 MW), Five Points solar station (15 MW), Gates solar station (20 MW), Giffen solar station (10 MW), Guernsey solar station (20 MW), Huron solar station (20 MW), Stroud solar station (20 MW), West Gates solar station (10 MW), and Westside solar station (15 MW). All of these facilities are located in Fresno County, except for Guernsey solar station, which is located in Kings County.

The Utility has applied to transfer its non-nuclear generation assets to Pacific Generation and potentially sell a minority interest in Pacific Generation. (For more information, see “Application with Pacific Generation for Approval to Transfer Non-Nuclear Generation Assets” in Item 7. MD&A below.)

Generation Resources from Third Parties

The Utility has entered into various agreements to purchase power and electric capacity, including agreements for renewable energy resources, in accordance with its CPUC-approved procurement plan. See “Ratemaking Mechanisms” above. For more information regarding the Utility’s power purchase agreements, see Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Electricity Transmission

Transmission lines deliver electricity at high voltages and over long distances from power sources to transmission substations closer to customers. A strong transmission system supports reliable and affordable service, ability to meet state energy policy goals, and support for a diverse generation mix, including renewable energy.

As of December 31, 2023, the Utility owned approximately 18,000 circuit miles of interconnected transmission lines operating at voltages ranging from 60 kV to 500 kV. The Utility also operated 33 electric transmission substations with a capacity of approximately 66,000 MVA. The Utility’s electric transmission system is interconnected with electric power systems in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, which includes many western states, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and parts of Mexico.

Decisions about expansions and maintenance of the transmission system can be influenced by decisions of the Utility’s regulators and the CAISO.

Electricity Distribution

Distribution lines allow electricity to travel at lower voltages from substations directly to customers. The Utility’s electric distribution network consists of approximately 108,000 circuit miles of distribution lines (of which, as of December 31, 2023, approximately 26% are underground and approximately 74% are overhead), 67 transmission switching substations, and 752 distribution substations with a capacity of approximately 36,000 MVA. The Utility’s distribution network interconnects with its transmission system, primarily at switching and distribution substations, where equipment reduces the high-voltage transmission voltages to lower voltages, suitable for distribution to the Utility’s customers.

These distribution substations serve as the central hubs for the Utility’s electric distribution network. Emanating from each substation are primary and secondary distribution lines connected to local transformers and switching equipment that link distribution lines and provide delivery to customers. In some cases, third parties, such as municipal and other utilities, who generate or procure their own power rely upon the Utility’s distribution facilities to deliver their power to them, so that they are able to resell the electricity. The Utility operates electric distribution control center facilities in Concord, Rocklin, and Fresno, California; these control centers form a key part of the Utility’s efforts to create a smarter, more resilient grid.

Electricity Operating Statistics

The following table shows certain of the Utility’s operating statistics from 2021 to 2023 for electricity sold or delivered, including the classification of revenues by type of service. No single customer of the Utility accounted for 10% or more of consolidated revenues for electricity sold in 2023, 2022 or 2021.

	2023		2022		2021
Customers (average for the year)	5,584,185		5,562,223		5,539,969
Deliveries (in GWh) (1)	72,933		77,769		78,588
Revenues (in millions):
Residential	$	6,041	$	6,130	$	6,089
Commercial	5,643		5,416		5,042
Industrial	1,784		1,626		1,493
Agricultural	1,413		1,830		1,565
Public street and highway lighting	83		77		73
Other, net (2)	136		(247)		(84)
Subtotal	15,100		14,832		14,178
Regulatory balancing accounts (3)	2,324		228		953
Total operating revenues	$	17,424	$	15,060	$	15,131
Selected Statistics:
Average annual residential usage (kWh)	5,217		5,564		5,889
Average billed revenues per kWh:
Residential	$	0.2356	$	0.2253	$	0.2125
Commercial	0.2007		0.1896		0.1802
Industrial	0.1294		0.1177		0.1075
Agricultural	0.2984		0.2435		0.2104
Net plant investment per customer	$	10,720	$	9,967	$	9,199

(1) These amounts include electricity provided by DA providers and CCAs that procure their own supplies of electricity for their respective customers.

(2) This activity is primarily related to the change in unbilled revenue and amounts subject to refund, partially offset by other miscellaneous revenue items.

(3) These amounts represent revenues authorized to be billed.

Natural Gas Utility Operations

The Utility provides natural gas transportation services to “core” customers (i.e., small commercial and residential customers) and to “non-core” customers (i.e., industrial, large commercial, and natural gas-fired electric generation facilities) that are connected to the Utility’s gas system in its service area. Core customers can purchase natural gas procurement service (i.e., natural gas supply) from either the Utility or non-utility third-party gas procurement service providers (referred to as “core transport agents”). When core customers purchase gas supply from a core transport agent, the Utility continues to provide gas delivery, metering, and billing services to customers. When the Utility provides both transportation and procurement services, the Utility refers to the combined service as “bundled” natural gas service. More than 96% of core customers, representing approximately 84% of the annual core market demand, receive bundled natural gas service from the Utility.

The Utility generally does not provide procurement service to non-core customers, which must purchase their gas supplies from third-party suppliers, unless the customer is a natural gas-fired generation facility with which the Utility has a power purchase agreement that includes its generation fuel expense. The Utility offers backbone gas transmission, gas delivery (local transmission and distribution), and gas storage services as separate and distinct services to its non-core customers. Access to the Utility’s backbone gas transmission system is available for all natural gas marketers and shippers, as well as non-core customers. The Utility also delivers gas to off-system customers (i.e., outside of the Utility’s service area) and to third-party natural gas storage customers.

Natural Gas Supplies

The Utility can receive natural gas from all the major natural gas basins in western North America, including basins in western Canada, the Rocky Mountains, and the southwestern United States. The Utility can also receive natural gas from fields in California. The Utility purchases natural gas to serve its core customers directly from producers and marketers in both Canada and the United States. The contract lengths and natural gas sources of the Utility’s portfolio of natural gas purchase contracts have varied generally based on market conditions. During 2023, the Utility purchased approximately 299,000 MMcf of natural gas (net of the sale of excess supply of gas). Substantially all of this natural gas was purchased under contracts with a term of one year or less. The Utility’s largest individual supplier represented approximately 54% of the total natural gas volume the Utility purchased during 2023.

Natural Gas System Assets

The Utility owns and operates an integrated natural gas transmission, storage, and distribution system that includes most of northern and central California. At December 31, 2023, the Utility’s natural gas system consisted of approximately 44,200 miles of distribution pipelines, over 6,400 miles of backbone and local transmission pipelines, and various storage facilities. The Utility owns and operates eight natural gas compressor stations on its backbone transmission system and one compressor station on its local transmission system that are used to move gas through the Utility’s pipelines. The Utility’s backbone transmission system is used to transport gas from the Utility’s interconnection with interstate pipelines, other local distribution companies, and California gas fields to the Utility’s local transmission and distribution systems.

The Utility has firm transportation agreements for the transportation of natural gas from various natural gas supply points and interconnection points to the Utility’s natural gas transportation system. These agreements provide transportation service from western Canada to the United States-Canada border, from the United States-Canada border to an interconnection point with the Utility’s natural gas transportation system at the Oregon-California border, from the U.S. Rocky Mountains to an interconnection point with the Utility’s natural gas transportation system at the Oregon-California border, and from supply points in the southwestern United States to interconnection points with the Utility’s natural gas transportation system in the area of California near Topock, Arizona. (For more information regarding the Utility’s natural gas transportation agreements, see Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.)

The Utility owns and operates three underground natural gas storage fields and has a 25% interest in a fourth storage field, all of which are connected to the Utility’s gas transmission system. In 2019, the CPUC approved the discontinuation, through closure or sale, of operations at two of the Utility’s owned and operated gas storage fields, Pleasant Creek and Los Medanos. The Utility expects to close on the sale of Pleasant Creek in 2024. The Utility plans to keep the Los Medanos storage field in operation as filed and approved in the 2023 GRC. The Utility owns and operates compressors and other facilities at these storage fields that are used to inject gas into the fields for storage and later for withdrawal. In addition, four independent storage operators are interconnected to the Utility’s Northern California gas transmission system.

In 2023, the Utility continued upgrading transmission pipeline to allow for the use of in-line inspection tools.

Natural Gas Operating Statistics

The following table shows the Utility’s operating statistics from 2021 through 2023 (excluding subsidiaries) for natural gas, including the classification of revenues by type of service. No single customer of the Utility accounted for 10% or more of consolidated revenues for bundled gas sales in 2023, 2022 or 2021.

	2023		2022		2021
Customers (average for the year) (1)	4,605,628		4,585,126		4,563,747
Gas purchased (MMcf)	239,756		227,128		226,037
Average price of natural gas purchased (price per Mcf)	$	6.91	$	7.42	$	3.19
Bundled gas sales (MMcf):
Residential	171,889		160,449		162,205
Commercial	60,248		57,066		54,262
Total Bundled Gas Sales	232,137		217,515		216,467
Revenues (in millions):
Bundled gas sales:
Residential	$	3,686	$	3,353	$	2,759
Commercial	1,052		1,005		713
Other	(145)		163		140
Bundled gas revenues	4,593		4,521		3,612
Transportation service only revenue	1,603		1,534		1,346
Subtotal	6,196		6,055		4,958
Regulatory balancing accounts (2)	808		565		553
Total operating revenues	$	7,004	$	6,620	$	5,511
Selected Statistics:
Average annual residential usage (Mcf)	37		37		37
Average billed bundled gas sales revenues per Mcf:
Residential	$	20.73	$	20.22	$	16.54
Commercial	14.99		15.19		11.63
Net plant investment per customer	$	4,749	$	4,522	$	4,130

(1) These amounts include natural gas provided by core transport agents and CCAs that procure their own supplies of natural gas for their respective customers.

(2) These amounts represent revenues authorized to be billed.

Competition

Trends in Market Demand and Competitive Conditions in the Electricity Industry

The Utility expects customer electric load to increase in coming years primarily as a result of electrification of buildings and transportation. The Utility is not able to predict how quickly this electrification will occur. The Utility expects customer demand for gas to decrease in the coming years, primarily in response to policies supporting California’s climate goals.

California law allows qualifying non-residential electric customers of IOUs to purchase electricity from energy service providers rather than from the utilities up to certain annual limits specified for each utility. This arrangement is known as DA. In addition, California law permits cities, counties, and certain other public agencies that have qualified to become a CCA to generate or purchase electricity for their local residents and businesses. By law, a CCA can procure electricity for all of its residents and businesses that do not affirmatively elect to continue to receive electricity generated or procured by a utility.

The Utility continues to provide transmission, distribution, metering, and billing services to DA customers at the election of their energy service provider. The CCA customers continue to obtain transmission, distribution, metering, and billing services from the Utility. In addition to collecting charges for transmission, distribution, metering, and billing services that it provides, the Utility is able to collect charges intended to recover the generation-related costs that the Utility incurred on behalf of DA and CCA customers while they were the Utility’s customers. The Utility remains the electricity provider of last resort for these customers. Section 387 of the Public Utilities Code allows for a request to transfer the responsibilities of the provider of last resort obligation from IOUs to other entities.

The Utility is also impacted by an increasing quantity of distributed generation and energy storage. The levels of self-generation of electricity by customers (primarily solar installations) and customer enrollment in NEM, which allows self-generating customers employing qualifying renewable resources to receive bill credits at the full retail rate, put upward rate pressure on non-NEM customers. The successor to the NEM tariffs, the NBT, will provide bill credits at a lower rate, which reduces the level of upward rate pressure on non-NEM or non-NBT customers, but does not eliminate such upward rate pressure. Like NEM customers, customers interconnecting on the NBT, are required to pay an interconnection fee, utilize time of use rates, and pay certain non-bypassable charges to help fund some of the costs of low income, energy efficiency, and other programs that other customers pay. Significantly higher bills for non-NEM or non-NBT customers may result in a decline of the number of such customers as they may seek alternative energy providers or adopt self-generation technologies. See “Concerns about high rates for the Utility’s customers could negatively impact PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows” in Item 1A. Risk Factors and “Regulatory Matters - OIR to Revisit Net Energy Metering Tariffs” in Item 7. MD&A.

Further, in some circumstances, governmental entities such as cities and irrigation districts may have authority under the state constitution or state statute to provide retail electric service directly to consumers, in some cases bypassing the Utility’s electric infrastructure entirely. Those entities may also rely upon FERC open access tariffs and Utility infrastructure to deliver their energy for resale at retail to existing or potential new Utility customers. These entities may also seek to acquire the Utility’s transmission or distribution facilities through eminent domain for use in serving electricity at retail to existing or potential new Utility customers. As a result, the Utility could lose customers (residential, commercial, and industrial) or experience limited growth in the municipality. See “Jurisdictions may attempt to acquire the Utility’s assets through eminent domain, and third parties may attempt to acquire the Utility’s customers by bypassing the Utility’s electric infrastructure system” in Item 1A. Risk Factors. It is also expected that some publicly-owned utilities will build new or duplicate transmission or distribution facilities to serve existing or potential new Utility customers, bypassing the Utility’s electric infrastructure. In some instances, microgrid formation is a key factor in a community’s choice to engage governmental entities. Some private companies have also called for changes in law that could allow those companies to privately serve electricity to retail customers without being regulated by the CPUC as public utilities. To the extent such changes occur and result in large customers reducing the share of transmission, distribution, and non-bypassable charges they pay, PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition and results of operations could be materially impacted.

The effect of such types of retail competition generally is to reduce the number of utility customers, leading to decreased growth or a reduction in the Utility’s rate base.

The Utility also competes for the opportunity to develop and construct certain types of electric transmission facilities within, or interconnected to, its service area through a competitive bidding process managed by the CAISO.

For risks in connection with increasing competition, see Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Competition in the Natural Gas Industry

The Utility competes with other natural gas pipeline companies for customers transporting natural gas into the southern California market on the basis of transportation rates, access to competitively priced supplies of natural gas, and the quality and reliability of transportation services. The Utility also competes for storage services with other third-party storage providers, primarily in Northern California.

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