PG&E
{{#badges: Climate change |CoalSwarm}}
 | |
| Type | Public (NYSE: PCG) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 77 Beale St. San Francisco, CA 94105 |
| Area served | CA |
| Key people | Peter A. Darbee, CEO |
| Industry | Electric Producer & Utility Natural Gas Utility |
| Products | Electricity, Natural Gas |
| Revenue | $13.2 billion (2007)[1] |
| Net income | ▲ $1.01 billion (2007)[1] |
| Employees | 20,050 (2007) |
| Subsidiaries | Pacific Gas and Electric Company |
| Website | PGECorp.com |
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is the utility that provides natural gas and electricity to most of Northern California. The southern part of the state is generally served by Southern California Edison for power and natural gas from Southern California Gas. PG&E was founded in 1905 and is currently headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building in San Francisco.
PG&E leaves Chamber of Commerce over climate policy
In September 2009, PG&E announced it was quitting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of the lobbying organization's opposition to climate legislation. In a letter to the Chamber, CEO Peter Darbee wrote, In a letter to the Chamber, PG&E Chairman and CEO Peter Darbee wrote:[2]
"We find it dismaying that the Chamber neglects the indisputable fact that a decisive majority of experts have said the data on global warming are compelling and point to a threat that cannot be ignored. In our opinion, an intellectually honest argument over the best policy response to the challenges of climate change is one thing; disingenuous attempts to diminish or distort the reality of these challenges are quite another."
PNM Resources and Exelon have also left the Chamber of Commerce over its opposition to greenhouse gas regulations.[3]
SmartMeter controversy
By November, 2010, PG&E had spent approximately $2.2 billion to install 7.1 million wireless "SmartMeters" on properties throughout central and northern California. The meters record power consumption and report the information back to the utility at least daily. The power company touts the meters a stepping stone to an improved, more flexible electricity grid, but consumers complain that their monthly utility bills spiked after installation of the meters, and have expressed concern about exposure to the meters' electromagnetic fields. Protest against the meters grew.
In November, 2010, the PG&E executive in charge of the utility's SmartMeter program admitted that he used a fake name in an effort to join an Internet discussion group of SmartMeter opponents. William Devereaux, the senior director of PG&E's $2.2 billion SmartMeter program, used the name "Ralph" when he sent an e-mail to the moderator of a discussion group for people trying to block deployment of the new, wireless electricity and gas meters. His identity was given away when his real name appeared next to his e-mail address, and the list moderator recognized who he was. [4][5]
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/09/MNG61G940B.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz14u1UcXSq
Compensation
In May 2007, Forbes listed PG&E CEO Peter Darbee as receiving $4.41 million in total compensation for the latest fiscal year, with a three-year total compensation of $14.55 million. He ranked 22nd on the list of CEOs in the Utilities industry, and 314th among all CEOs in the United States.[6]
Power portfolio
Out of its total 8,038 MW of electric generating capacity in 2005 (0.75% of the U.S. total), PG&E produced 46.1% from hydroelectricity, 28.9% from nuclear, 18.0% from coal, 5.9% from natural gas, and 1.2% from oil. PG&E owns power plants in California, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; 82.0% of the company's generating capacity comes from power plants in California.[7]
Existing coal-fired power plants
PG&E owned 6 coal-fired generating stations in 2005, with 1,443 MW of capacity. Here is a list of PG&E's coal power plants:[7][8][9]
| Plant Name | State | County | Year(s) Built | Capacity | 2007 CO2 Emissions | 2006 SO2 Emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiantown | FL | Martin | 1995 | 395 MW | 2,406,000 tons | N/A |
| Cedar Bay | FL | Duval | 1994 | 292 MW | 2,355,000 tons | N/A |
| Carneys Point | NJ | Salem | 1993 | 285 MW | N/A | N/A |
| Logan | NJ | Gloucester | 1994 | 242 MW | 1,674,000 tons | N/A |
| Northampton | PA | Northampton | 1995 | 134 MW | 981,000 tons | N/A |
| Scrubgrass | PA | Venango | 1993 | 95 MW | 966,000 tons | N/A |
In 2006, PG&E's 6 coal-fired power plants emitted at least 8.4 million tons of CO2.
Related SourceWatch Articles
External Articles
Wikipedia also has an article on PG&E. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 PG&E Corp., BusinessWeek Company Insight Center, accessed July 2008.
- ↑ "PG&E Leaves Chamber of Commerce," Union of Concerned Scientists, September 22, 2009.
- ↑ "Out the Door: Exelon Leaves Chamber of Commerce over Climate Policy,"] Wall Street Journal, September 28, 2009.
- ↑ David R. Baker PG&E SmartMeter exec tries to infiltrate activists, San Francisco Chronicle, November 9, 2010
- ↑ PRWatch.org Utility Exec Busted Trying to Spy on Consumers, November 9, 2010
- ↑ CEO Compensation: #314 Peter A Darbee, Forbes.com, May 3, 2007.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2005, Energy Information Administration, accessed April 2008.
- ↑ Environmental Integrity Project, Dirty Kilowatts: America’s Most Polluting Power Plants, July 2007.
- ↑ Dig Deeper, Carbon Monitoring for Action database, accessed June 2008.