SACRAMENTO – California regulators approved two more rate hike requests by Pacific Gas and Electric Thursday night, making it six this year.
“PG&E is working to stabilize bills and limit average annual combined gas and electric bill increases to no more than 2-4% through 2026,” PG&E said in a statement.
Mark Toney is the executive director of The Utility Reform Network, a PG&E watchdog.
“People are paying an average of $60 more a month than last year a month,” Toney said. “Right now, we have a broken system that we need to fix, there are no limits to how much PG&E can ask for, no limits to how many times a year.”
The average PG&E bill is up 56 percent in the past three years, according to the California Public Utility Commission.
The two new rate increases are to pay for the extended use of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant and for vegetation maintenance.
One rate increase will go into effect next year and the other in 2026.