Marin may defect from PG&E
San Francisco Business Times - by Lindsay Riddell
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has new competition in Marin County.
A Marin County board voted unanimously Thursday to approve a five-year contract with Shell Energy North America to supply electricity to the county, and compete against PG&E.
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Shell Energy North America, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, has said it can offer an electric supply that includes 25 percent renewable energy for the same price PG&E charges customers. Also, for an additional $3 to $6, Marin County customers can opt to buy 100 percent of their electricity generated by renewable sources.
PG&E said it would still provide maintenance, customer service and other functions in Marin, and that it will still provide electricity for Marin residents and businesses not covered by the contract or who opt out.
“We believe Marin energy authority’s contract with shell cannot guarantee that its prices will be lower than PG&E,” said PG&E spokeswoman Katie Romans. “We see a financial risk for not just participating cities but our customers. We think this contract will increase countywide greenhouse gas emissions.”
Financing for the loan to cover the $1.7 million in upfront costs of switching to Shell is not yet complete.
Some San Francisco supervisors have pushed for San Francisco to also defect from PG&E.
Email Lindsay Riddell at lriddell@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4968
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