PG&E turning off power to protect against fire has created a new disaster

Re:PG&E turning off power to protect against fire has create... by dragonwriter on Wednesday October 30, 2019 @09:55AM (#21397739)

> You mention profit a lot, but do you know how a utility earns money? Rate payer might be the obvious answer, but there is another.

No, there isn't.

> Capital projects, investments into itself that make the company tick.

That doesn't make money, it reduces operating expenses and increases operating margins at the same rates. The money still comes from ratepayers. And public entities reduce operating expenses the same way, the benefits (after paying for any debt financing) just go to taxpayers, rather than private investors.

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Re:PG&E turning off power to protect against fire has create... by TheHypnotist on Wednesday October 30, 2019 @11:29AM (#21398795)

I said earn money. But I phrased it poorly, so i'll explain further with what I know. I also assume we're still talking about regulated utilities.

Capital project costs (along with other fixed costs) generally get passed through to rate payers + an approved ROR by the public utility board. Operating expenses cut into this. Capital project costs do not necessarily reduce operation expenses directly.

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