A deliberate underproduction to get "bailed out" is a strong accusation, I think it warrants a better proof than analysis of one line of an article. Especially when the article points out other reasons why production doesn't meet demand.

Unless you talk about actual contingency plans for emergencies in which case I don't quite understand what's so scandalous about falling back on the grid in emergencies. France also falls back on Germany's power generation when they have to shut down some of their nuclear reactors during heat waves.

> A deliberate underproduction to get "bailed out" is a strong accusation

In 2019, 25% of its electricity was imported[1]. This is before California takes even more power offline and replaces it with variable power.

[1]https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46156

I think that WECC would probably have gone ballistic if this was actually California’s plan.

Also, yes, being able to import from other places as a contingency is not a bad thing, it’s one of the major benefits of having the Western Interconnect at all.