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Grantee examines PG&E’s decision to refuse $2.5 billion buyout offer from City of San Francisco

This PG&E switchyard is part of the vast grid SF would have to take over to provide public power. The decommissioned Potrero Power Plant, slated to become a new neighborhood, is in the background. (Photo: Alex Lash)

San Francisco has a long history of pushing for publicly-owned power utilities, which was renewed in 2019 when Pacific Gas & Electric – the investor-owned utility that owns the grid in San Francisco – filed for bankruptcy in the wake of wildfires in the state. City officials made a $2.5 billion offer to purchase the grid, but PG&E rebuffed the offer. This led to a legal proceeding currently underway to determine the value of the city’s electric grid. With support from the Fund, Kristi Coale reported on whether the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has the wherewithal to be the only electric utility in town while also examining what it might take for the city to take over the grid and all operations. This story is part of a series in the Frisc on San Francisco’s electric future.