Pacific Gas & Electric (PCG+A) 10-K2023 FY Annual report

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: none

This report contains forward-looking statements that are necessarily subject to various risks and uncertainties. These statements reflect management’s judgment and opinions that are based on current estimates, expectations, and projections about future events and assumptions regarding these events and management’s knowledge of facts as of the date of this report. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other matters, estimated losses, including penalties and fines associated with various investigations and proceedings; forecasts of capital expenditures; forecasts of cost savings; estimates and assumptions used in critical accounting estimates, including those relating to insurance receivables, regulatory assets and liabilities, environmental remediation, litigation, third-party claims, the Wildfire Fund, and other liabilities; and the level of future equity or debt issuances. These statements are also identified by words such as “assume,” “expect,” “intend,” “forecast,” “plan,” “project,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “anticipate,” “commit,” “goal,” “target,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “potential,” and similar expressions. PG&E Corporation and the Utility are not able to predict all the factors that may affect future results. Some of the factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, or from historical results, include, but are not limited to:

For more information about the significant risks that could affect the outcome of the forward-looking statements and PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s future financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows, see Item 1A. Risk Factors and a detailed discussion of these matters contained in Item 7. MD&A. PG&E Corporation and the Utility do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether in response to new information, future events, or otherwise.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and proxy statements are available free of charge on both PG&E Corporation’s website, www.pgecorp.com, and the Utility's website, www.pge.com, as promptly as practicable after they are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Additionally, PG&E Corporation and the Utility routinely provide links to the Utility’s principal regulatory proceedings before the CPUC and the FERC at http://investor.pgecorp.com, under the “Regulatory Filings” tab, so that such filings are available to investors upon filing with the relevant agency. PG&E Corporation and the Utility also routinely post or provide direct links to presentations, documents, and other information that may be of interest to investors at http://investor.pgecorp.com, under the “Wildfire and Safety Updates” and “News & Events: Events & Presentations” tabs, respectively, in order to publicly disseminate such information. Specifically, within two hours during business hours or four hours outside of business hours of the determination that an incident is attributable or allegedly attributable to the Utility’s electric facilities and has resulted in property damage estimated to exceed $50,000, a fatality or injury requiring overnight in-patient hospitalization, or significant public or media attention, the Utility is required to submit an electric incident report including information about such incident to the CPUC. The information included in an electric incident report is limited and may not include important information about the facts and circumstances about the incident due to the limited scope of the reporting requirements and timing of the report and is necessarily limited to information to which the Utility has access at the time of the report. Ignitions are also reportable under CPUC Decision 14-02-015 when they involve self-propagating fire of material other than electrical or communication facilities; the fire traveled greater than one linear meter from the ignition point; and the Utility has knowledge that the fire occurred. It is possible that any of these filings or information included therein could be deemed to be material information. The information contained on such website is not part of this or any other report that PG&E Corporation or the Utility files with, or furnishes to, the SEC. PG&E Corporation and the Utility are providing the address to this website solely for the information of investors and do not intend the address to be an active link. PG&E Corporation and the Utility also make available to investors information about the companies’ climate goals and progress in the Corporate Sustainability Report and Climate Strategy Report, which information is not incorporated by reference into this report.

PG&E Corporation, incorporated in California in 1995, is a holding company whose primary operating subsidiary is Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a public utility operating in Northern and Central California. The Utility was incorporated in California in 1905. PG&E Corporation became the holding company of the Utility and its subsidiaries in 1997. The Utility generates revenues mainly through the sale and delivery of electricity and natural gas to customers. The Utility’s service area is shown in the graphic below.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s operating revenues, income, and total assets can be found below in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The principal executive offices of PG&E Corporation and the Utility are located at 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California 94612. PG&E Corporation’s telephone number is (415) 973-1000 and the Utility’s telephone number is (415) 973-7000.

This is a combined Annual Report on Form 10-K for PG&E Corporation and the Utility. Each of PG&E Corporation and the Utility is a separate entity.

This 2023 Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that are necessarily subject to various risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of the significant risks that could affect the outcome of these forward-looking statements and PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s future financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows, see Item 1A. Risk Factors and “Forward-Looking Statements” above.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s purpose is to deliver for their hometowns, serve the planet, and lead with love. In support of this purpose, the companies employ a Lean operating model designed to drive more effective and responsive decision-making, reduce the difficulties many coworkers face in their day-to-day work, and deliver better outcomes for customers and communities.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility measure their progress toward the purpose by considering their impact on the “triple bottom line” of people, planet, and prosperity, which is underpinned by performance; this consideration takes into account not only the economic value they create for customers and investors, but also their responsibility to social and environmental goals. The triple bottom line is designed to balance the interests of the companies’ many stakeholders, and it reflects the broader societal impacts of the companies’ activities.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility will continue to consider the impact on the triple bottom line of people, planet, and prosperity in their daily operations as well as in their long-term strategic decisions. The Utility will continue to seek fair and timely regulatory treatment to support its customer-driven investment plan while pursuing cost-control measures that would allow it to maintain the affordability of its service. The Lean operating system is an important means of realizing PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s objective of achieving world-class performance while delivering hometown service.

The people element of the triple bottom line represents PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s commitment to their workforce, their customers, the residents of local communities in which the companies do business, and other stakeholders.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s goal is to continually reduce risk to keep customers, the communities they serve, and their workforce (both employees and contractors) safe. Their focus is on continuously building an organization where every work activity is designed to facilitate safe performance, every worker knows and practices safe behaviors, and every individual is encouraged to speak up and stop work if they see unsafe or risky behavior, and has confidence that their concerns and ideas will be heard and pursued. PG&E Corporation and the Utility are committed to significantly improving their safety performance by understanding their risks, prioritizing their work, using controls to reduce risks, and continuously measuring and improving risk reduction.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s human capital resource objectives are to build and retain an engaged, well trained, diverse, and equitably-paid workforce. PG&E Corporation and the Utility place a high priority on delivering customer value and providing a hometown customer experience. The Utility’s customer-driven investment program is aimed at improving safety, increasing electric and gas reliability, and improving customer satisfaction.

For more information, see “Human Capital” below.

The planet element of the triple bottom line represents PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s commitment to protect and serve the environment. This commitment extends beyond compliance with various state and federal environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations. PG&E Corporation and the Utility believe that integrating and managing climate change and other environmental considerations in the companies’ business strategies creates long-term value for PG&E Corporation and the Utility, and for their customers, communities, coworkers, and other stakeholders. Mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change presents opportunities for growth for the Utility’s business and economic opportunity for the communities it serves.

The Utility is committed to delivering safe, clean, affordable, and reliable energy in the face of increasingly severe and extreme climate-driven natural hazards. To build resilience to these hazards, the Utility is working to systematically integrate forward-looking climate data and tools into its decision-making. PG&E Corporation and the Utility also work with policymakers and regulators to advance effective climate change policy in California, and work directly with local governments and communities on adaptation solutions.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are also committed to helping heal the planet. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Climate Strategy Report, which is available to the public, describes the companies’ climate goals and plans to meet those goals. To meet their longer-term climate goals, PG&E Corporation and the Utility intend to scale their efforts to decarbonize the energy system to accommodate a shift to vehicle electrification, integrate a proliferation of distributed energy resources, and achieve increased penetration of renewable energy combined with investments in the grid and energy storage.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are also making progress on transitioning the gas system to cleaner fuels and supporting efforts to accelerate building electrification. The objective is to do so in an orderly manner to achieve a positive customer and community experience, while reducing natural gas system investments in targeted electrified communities.

The impacts of climate change on the Utility’s infrastructure are already a reality. Record-breaking extreme heat and heat waves are increasingly a regular occurrence throughout California. Peak electric loads are expected to increase with increasing temperatures due to direct impacts of ambient temperatures on equipment and direct impacts on electricity demand driven by rising air conditioning installation and usage, and increasingly driven in the future from widespread progress in adoption of strategic electrification technologies. The Utility’s assets on the coast and in or near watersheds face potential increased exposures to coastal, riverine, and precipitation-related flooding because of climate-driven changes in precipitation and sea-level rise.

Climate change will also continue to intensify the potential for wildfires throughout California. The worsening conditions across California increase the likelihood and severity of wildfires, including those where the Utility’s equipment may be alleged to be associated with the fire’s ignition. Reducing risk will be even more important as climate change continues to exacerbate the risks facing the Utility. A key element of preparing the Utility for the physical risks of climate change is an updated and more detailed system-wide CVA of the Utility’s assets, operations, and services, which the Utility expects to file with the CPUC in mid-2024. The CVA is expected to improve the Utility’s understanding of its exposure to climate hazards and the sensitivity of assets and operations to these hazards.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility continue to pursue policies and programs that enable safe, reliable, and affordable clean and resilient energy for their customers. As a result of actions already taken by PG&E Corporation and the Utility, the companies have:

The CPUC coordinates the planning of supply resources through the Integrated Resource Planning (“IRP”) proceeding and has determined that replacing the power generated by Diablo Canyon is the responsibility of all LSEs within the CAISO. Looking ahead, the Utility expects its GHG-free energy supply mix of renewable, large hydroelectric, and nuclear generation resources to decrease as, beginning in 2023, the Utility was required to offer, for allocation or sale, renewable sources eligible under California's RPS program that the Utility procured on behalf of customers that subsequently switched to non-Utility providers. These requirements were established to comply with regulatory mandates and to manage customer affordability. Towards the end of the decade and beyond, the Utility’s GHG-free energy supply mix is expected to grow relative to 2025 levels as the Utility procures new GHG-free generation and storage to meet California’s IRP GHG emissions reduction targets and California’s clean energy goals. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s voluntary goal continues to be to deliver 70% RPS clean electricity by 2030, compared to a state mandate of 60% (see “Air Quality and Climate Change” below for more information).

The prosperity element of the triple bottom line represents PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s commitment to meeting their financial objectives and providing economic development opportunities and benefits in the communities they serve. Management believes clean energy should be affordable for and inclusive of all economic backgrounds.

Under cost-of-service ratemaking, a utility’s earnings depend on the outcomes of its ratemaking proceedings and its ability to manage costs.

See “Ratemaking Mechanisms” below and “Regulatory Matters” in Item 7. MD&A for more information on specific CPUC and FERC proceedings.

Generally, differences between forecast costs and actual costs can occur for numerous reasons, including the volume of work required and the impact of market forces on the cost of labor and materials. Differences in costs can also arise from changes in laws and regulations at both the state and federal level.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are committed to taking steps to improve their credit ratings and metrics over time, including by reducing PG&E Corporation’s debt by at least $2 billion by the end of 2026. PG&E Corporation and the Utility expect that reducing the consolidated debt will help them achieve investment grade credit ratings for their unsecured securities, for the benefit of both customers and investors. For more information, see “Liquidity and Financial Resources” in Item 7. MD&A. In 2022, an affiliate of the Utility issued an aggregate of $7.5 billion of SB 901 securitization bonds. The net proceeds were used to reimburse the Utility for previously incurred recovery costs, including the retirement of $6.0 billion of Utility debt, as of December 31, 2023.

In November 2023, the Board of Directors of PG&E Corporation reinstated the dividend on PG&E Corporation common stock, declaring a dividend of $21 million, or approximately 1 cent per share, which was paid by January 16, 2024. The Boards of Directors of PG&E Corporation and the Utility had suspended quarterly cash dividends in 2017 on both PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s common stock, as well as the Utility’s preferred stock. For more information, see “Liquidity and Financial Resources - Dividends” in Item 7. MD&A.

Total capital expenditures recorded in 2023 were $9.8 billion. The Utility’s total capital expenditures (including accruals) are forecasted to be $10.4 billion for 2024, $12.7 billion for 2025, $11.5 billion for 2026, $13.6 billion for 2027, and $14.0 billion for 2028. The Utility has identified additional opportunities for investment in the coming years in addition to its forecast, including investments in transportation electrification capacity, FERC-jurisdictional assets, electric distribution capacity, hydroelectric facilities, energy storage, information technology, and automation. The Utility also plans to submit a cost recovery application for its 10-year distribution undergrounding program pursuant to SB 884. Some of these investments depend on the Utility’s ability to generate or obtain the cash to support such investments over this period of time. The completion of projects, the timing of expenditures, and the associated cost recovery may be affected by permitting requirements and delays, construction schedules, availability of labor, equipment and materials, financing, legal and regulatory approvals and developments, community requests or protests, weather, and other unforeseen conditions.

The Utility expects to make additional capital expenditures, the recovery of which will be subject to future regulatory approval. These expenditures include capital expenditures exceeding amounts authorized in the 2023 GRC final decision issued on November 17, 2023, and expenditures to be included in a later filing or separate applications. These expenditures are expected to be primarily for wildfire mitigation and electrification. Additionally, $3.21 billion of fire risk mitigation capital expenditures has been excluded from the Utility’s equity base rate pursuant to AB 1054.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are committed to finding ways to lower the cost of providing gas and electric services for customers. The Utility’s capital investment plan, increasing procurement of renewable power and energy storage, increasing environmental regulations, and the cumulative impact of other public policy requirements collectively place continuing upward pressure on customer rates. Certain CPUC proceedings could impact different types of customers differently. The Utility has set a goal to increase customer capital investments while also limiting customer bill impacts, including by achieving operating cost savings and by seeking efficient financing. The Utility plans to meet its cost reduction goal through increased efficiencies, including waste elimination through the Lean operating system. The Utility has a number of programs in place to assist low-income customers, such as the CARE program. Under the CARE program, income-qualified customers can receive a monthly discount of 20% or more on their gas and electric bill.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Corporate Sustainability Report, which is available to the public, describes the companies’ progress toward world-class performance measured with the triple bottom line framework.

In 2022, the Utility spent $4.79 billion with certified diverse suppliers, representing 39.3% of its total spend.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility use the Lean operating system, which includes five basic “plays”: visual management; operating reviews; problem solving; standard work; and waste elimination. Visual management allows teams to see how they are performing against their most important metrics using real-time data. Teams throughout PG&E Corporation and the Utility hold daily, weekly, and monthly operating reviews designed to align the performance of workers closest to the work with the goals and objectives of senior leadership. These brief meetings help the Utility identify gaps and quickly develop plans to support the teams performing the work and give the Utility more visibility, control and predictability in its operations. Problem solving involves a structured approach to identifying, containing, analyzing, and solving problems in order to capitalize on opportunities. Standard work reduces costs and increases productivity by establishing a consistent company-wide method for completing a task. For instance, the Lean operating system helped the Utility identify patterns in the conditions of ignitions and led to the implementation of EPSS, which drove a significant reduction in facility ignitions. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s performance is also driven by an increased focus on alignment of shared outcomes among its leadership and within the organization. Waste elimination, the fifth Lean play, was deployed in 2023 and enables the companies to identify and eliminate inefficiencies in both process and workflow in a sustainable manner and drive the continued adoption of consistent processes and improvements to financial visibility and controls.

In 2023, the Utility implemented PG&E’s Safety Excellence Management System, which is a more systematic approach to assess risk and evaluate or implement controls for safe operation based on industry standards.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility have implemented a regional service model to bring the Utility closer to the hometowns it serves. Through the regional service model, the Utility has restructured its service area into five regions, with leaders assigned for each region to deliver improved public and employee safety, customer service, and operational reliability outcomes.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are committed to designing an electric system that is resilient to climate change, decarbonized, and optimized to local and system needs.

California has experienced unprecedented weather conditions in recent years and the Utility’s service area remains susceptible to additional wildfire activity. In response, the Utility has implemented operational changes and investments that reduce wildfire risk, including:

The Utility’s equipment was not involved in the ignition of any catastrophic wildfires in 2023. The Utility also significantly reduced both the size and number of CPUC-reportable ignitions and number of acres burned in 2023, compared to prior years.

In 2023, the Utility introduced or expanded its use of several measures including downed conductor detection, partial voltage force outs, and transmission operational controls which further decreased wildfire ignition risk. These measures built on the Utility’s progress in 2022, when it expanded the EPSS program to all high fire risk areas. In addition, the Utility uses multiple weather models on a daily basis that indicate which circuits to enable with safety settings and which to put in normal protection settings, optimizing for wildfire risk reduction when needed and enhancing reliability when wildfire risk is low. In 2022, the Utility reviewed and adjusted settings to improve coordination among devices on a circuit to reduce the number of customers impacted by an outage. In 2022 and 2023, the Utility took additional steps to improve customer reliability through several targeted programs, including vegetation management activities to reduce vegetation caused outages, upgrading the system to improve sectionalization, and installing fault indicators to reduce restoration times.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are continuing to invest in a safe and reliable gas system and are working toward targeted electrification, greening the gas supply, and shaping California energy policy. The Utility has focused on continuously improving its gas operations safety record. Since the San Bruno natural gas pipeline explosion in 2010, the Utility’s asset safety efforts have included replacing distribution mains and transmission pipelines, as well as strength testing transmission pipelines. The Utility uses in-line inspections to assess the integrity of transmission pipelines. The Utility also uses safety and control systems to monitor, gather, and process real-time data on its gas system. The Utility’s gas system has not had a safety-related incident that affected the public and resulted in a fatality or injury since 2015 or 2018, respectively. In 2023, the NTSB confirmed that the Utility had successfully addressed all 12 safety recommendations relating to the San Bruno explosion.

The Utility has engaged in educating employees, contractors, and the public regarding safe digging programs and practices for their awareness during construction and when digging near the Utility’s underground gas and electric assets. The Utility also installed safety devices that automatically detect increasing pressure on systems and stop the flow of gas to avoid outages and overpressure events. Additionally, the Utility continues to streamline its efforts to respond to outages on a timely basis. The Utility’s outage response is designed to keep the public safe while limiting customer outages and returning service safely and as quickly as possible.

The Utility’s generation operations have focused on safety and reliability. Winter precipitation and snowpack provided fuel for increased hydro generation in 2023, exceeding the 15-year average. The Utility is focused on continuous improvement of asset management and work management systems to support comprehensive non-nuclear generation asset management. The goal of these efforts is to further improve project execution capabilities and capacity to deliver on asset improvements necessary for long-term safe and reliable generation.

The Utility’s business is subject to the regulatory jurisdiction of various agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. At the state level, the Utility is regulated primarily by the CPUC. At the federal level, the Utility is regulated primarily by the FERC and the NRC. The Utility is also subject to the requirements of other federal, state and local regulatory agencies, including with respect to safety, the environment, and health, such as the NTSB and the OEIS.

This section and the “Environmental Regulation” and the “Ratemaking Mechanisms” sections below summarize some of the more significant laws, regulations, and regulatory proceedings affecting the Utility. For more information, see Item 1A. Risk Factors and “Regulatory Matters” in Item 7. MD&A.

PG&E Corporation is subject to the Public Utility Holding Company Act as a public utility holding company. The Public Utility Holding Company Act primarily obligates PG&E Corporation and its utility subsidiaries to provide access to their books and records to the FERC and the CPUC for ratemaking purposes.

The CPUC is a regulatory agency that regulates privately owned public utilities in California. The CPUC has jurisdiction over the rates and terms and conditions of service for the Utility’s electric and natural gas distribution operations, electric generation, and natural gas transmission and storage services. The CPUC has also exercised jurisdiction over the Utility’s issuances of securities, dispositions of utility assets and facilities, energy purchases on behalf of the Utility’s electric and natural gas retail customers, rates of return, rates of depreciation, oversight of nuclear decommissioning, and aspects of the siting of facilities used in providing electric and natural gas utility service.

The CPUC enforces state and federal laws and regulations that set forth safety requirements pertaining to the design, construction, testing, operation, and maintenance of utility gas and electric facilities.  The CPUC can impose penalties of up to $100,000 per day, per violation. The CPUC has broad discretion to determine the amount of penalties based on the totality of the circumstances, including such factors as the gravity of the violations, the type of harm caused by the violations and the number of persons affected, and the good faith of the entity charged in attempting to achieve compliance, after notification of a violation. The CPUC also is required to consider the appropriateness of the amount of the penalty to the size of the entity charged.

The CPUC has delegated authority to the SED to issue citations and impose penalties for violations identified through audits, investigations, or self-reports. Under the current gas and electric citation programs adopted by the CPUC in September 2016, the SED has discretion whether to issue a penalty for each violation. If it assesses a penalty for a violation, it has the authority to impose the maximum statutory penalty of $100,000 per day, with an administrative limit of $8 million per citation issued. Similar to penalties imposed by the CPUC, penalty payments for citations issued pursuant to the gas and electric safety citation programs are the responsibility of shareholders and may not be recovered through rates or otherwise charged to customers. The CPUC has also authorized the SED to propose for CPUC approval administrative consent orders and administrative enforcement orders when the SED deems a formal order instituting investigation unnecessary.

The California State Legislature also directs the CPUC to implement state laws and policies, such as the laws relating to wildfires and wildfire cost recovery, increasing renewable energy resources, the development and widespread deployment of distributed generation and self-generation resources, the reduction of GHG emissions, the establishment of energy storage procurement targets, and the development of a state-wide electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The CPUC is responsible for approving funding and administration of state-mandated public purpose programs such as energy efficiency and other customer programs. The CPUC also conducts audits and reviews of the Utility’s accounting, performance, and compliance with regulatory guidelines.

The CPUC has imposed various conditions that govern the relationship between the Utility and PG&E Corporation and other affiliates, including financial conditions that require PG&E Corporation’s Board of Directors to give first priority to the capital requirements of the Utility, as determined to be necessary and prudent to meet the Utility’s obligation to serve or to operate the Utility in a prudent and efficient manner. For more information on specific CPUC enforcement matters and CPUC-implemented laws and policies and the related impact on PG&E Corporation and the Utility, see Item 1A. Risk Factors, “Regulatory Matters,” “Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives,” and “Liquidity and Financial Resources” in Item 7. MD&A, and Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The FERC has jurisdiction over the Utility’s electric transmission revenue requirements and rates, the siting, construction, operation, maintenance, and safety obligations of substantially all of the Utility’s hydroelectric generation facilities, and the interstate sale and transportation of natural gas. The FERC regulates the interconnections of the Utility’s transmission systems with other electric systems and generation facilities, the tariffs and conditions of service of regional transmission organizations, and the terms and rates of wholesale electricity sales. The FERC also is charged with adopting and enforcing mandatory standards governing the reliability of the nation’s electric transmission grid, including standards to protect the nation’s bulk power system against potential disruptions from cyber and physical security breaches. The FERC’s approval is also required under Federal Power Act Section 203 before undertaking certain transactions, including most mergers and consolidations, certain transactions that result in a change in control of a utility, purchases of utility securities and dispositions of utility property. The FERC has authority to impose fines of up to $1 million per day for violations of certain federal statutes and regulations. For more information on specific FERC requirements and their impact on PG&E Corporation and the Utility, see Item 1A. Risk Factors, and “Regulatory Matters,” “Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives,” and “Liquidity and Financial Resources” in Item 7. MD&A and Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The CAISO is the FERC-approved regional transmission organization for the Utility’s service area. The CAISO controls the operation of the electric transmission system in most of California and a small part of Nevada and provides open access transmission service on a non-discriminatory basis. The CAISO is also responsible for planning transmission system additions, ensuring the maintenance of adequate reserves of generating capacity, ensuring that the reliability of the transmission system is maintained, and operating the wholesale power market in most of California and an interstate energy imbalance market.

The NRC oversees the licensing, construction, operation, and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, including the Utility’s two nuclear generating units at Diablo Canyon and the Utility’s independent spent fuel storage installation at Humboldt Bay. See “Electricity Resources” below. NRC regulations require extensive monitoring and review of the safety, radiological, seismic, environmental, and security aspects of these facilities. In the event of non-compliance, the NRC has the authority to impose fines or to force a shutdown of a nuclear plant, or both. NRC safety and security requirements have, in the past, necessitated that the Utility incur substantial costs at Diablo Canyon, and substantial costs could be required in the future. For more information about Diablo Canyon, see Item 1A. Risk Factors and Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The CEC is a California agency with responsibility for energy policy and planning. The CEC is responsible for licensing all thermal power plants over 50 MW within California. The CEC establishes forecasts of future energy needs used by the CPUC in determining the adequacy of utilities’ and other load-serving entities’ electricity procurement. The CEC also promotes energy management and conservation programs, including setting standards for building and appliance energy efficiency and load management programs.

The CARB is the state agency responsible for setting and monitoring GHG and other emission limits. The CARB is also responsible for adopting and enforcing regulations to implement state law requirements to gradually reduce GHG emissions in California. See “Environmental Regulation - Air Quality and Climate Change” below.

The NTSB is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigations, including pipeline accidents. The NTSB also conducts special investigations and safety studies, and issues safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.

The California Geologic Energy Management Division is the state agency responsible for establishing and enforcing regulations for the operation of the Utility’s underground gas storage facilities.

The Department of Transportation’s (“DOT”) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has established regulations regarding the design, construction, operation, maintenance, integrity, safety, and security of natural gas distribution, transmission, and underground storage facilities. The DOT has certified the CPUC to administer oversight and compliance with these regulations for the entities it regulates in California.

The OEIS is a state agency responsible for reviewing and approving the Utility’s WMP and for evaluating the Utility’s implementation of the WMP. The OEIS is also responsible for reviewing and issuing the Utility’s annual safety certification, annually reviewing and approving the Utility’s executive compensation plan, conducting assessments of the Utility’s safety culture, conducting field inspections of wildfire mitigation activities, and reviewing proposed undergrounding plans under SB 884.

In addition, the Utility obtains permits, authorizations, and licenses in connection with the construction and operation of the Utility’s generation facilities, electricity transmission lines, natural gas transportation pipelines, and gas compressor station facilities. Delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain and maintain, any such permits, authorizations, or licenses could prevent construction of new facilities, limit or prevent continued operation of existing facilities, or result in significant additional costs or restrictions on operations. The Utility also periodically obtains permits, authorizations, and licenses in connection with distribution of electricity and natural gas that grant the Utility rights to occupy or use public property for the operation of the Utility’s business and to conduct certain related operations. The Utility has franchise agreements with approximately 300 cities and counties that permit the Utility to install, operate, and maintain the Utility’s electric or natural gas facilities in the public streets and highways. In exchange for the right to use public streets and highways, the Utility pays annual fees to the cities and counties. In most cases, the Utility’s franchise agreements are for an indeterminate term, with no expiration date. For more information see Item 1A. Risk Factors.

As indicated above, the Utility’s business is subject to the regulatory jurisdiction of various agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. Compliance with such extensive government regulations requires substantial expenditures and has had in the past and may continue to have in the future a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, cash flows and competitive position. For more information about costs incurred to comply with government regulations and related material effects on PG&E Corporation and the Utility, see Item 1A. Risk Factors, “Liquidity and Financial Resources” and “Regulatory Matters” in Item 7. MD&A, and Notes 14 and 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The Utility’s facilities are subject to various regulations adopted by the EPA, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended. The Utility is also subject to the regulations adopted by other federal agencies responsible for implementing federal environmental laws. The Utility also must comply with environmental laws and regulations adopted by the State of California and various state and local agencies. These federal and state laws impose strict liability for the release of a hazardous substance on the (1) owner or operator of the site where the release occurred, (2) on companies that disposed of, or arranged for the disposal of, the hazardous substances, and (3) in some cases, their corporate successors. Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, these persons (known as “potentially responsible parties”) may be jointly and severally liable for the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances, monitoring and paying for the harm caused to natural resources, and paying for the costs of health studies.

The Utility has a comprehensive program in place to comply with these federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Under federal and California laws, the Utility may be responsible for remediation of hazardous substances even if it did not deposit those substances on the site. The Utility’s remediation activities are overseen by the DTSC, several California regional water quality control boards, and various other federal, state, and local agencies. The Utility has incurred significant environmental remediation liabilities associated with former MGP sites, power plant sites, gas gathering sites, sites where natural gas compressor stations are located, and sites used by the Utility for the storage, recycling, or disposal of potentially hazardous substances. Groundwater at the Utility’s Hinkley and Topock natural gas compressor stations contains hexavalent chromium as a result of the Utility’s past operating practices. The Utility is responsible for remediating this groundwater contamination and for abating the effects of the contamination on the environment.

For more information about environmental remediation liabilities, see Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

At the federal level, the EPA is charged with implementation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act. Although there have been several legislative attempts to address climate change through imposition of nationwide regulatory limits on GHG emissions, comprehensive federal legislation has not yet been enacted. In the absence of federal legislative action, the EPA has used its existing authority under the Clean Air Act to address GHG emissions.

Tackling the climate crisis is a key priority of the Biden Administration, and the Administration is using its executive and regulatory authorities to target emissions reductions in line with science-based targets. On May 11, 2023, the EPA released proposed new GHG emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act. The proposal sets standards for new and existing coal and natural gas-fired plants – stringency of the standards differ based on timelines, unit type, capacity factors, and operating horizon. Most relevant to the Utility are the standards for existing natural gas units which require on affected units either the installation of carbon capture and sequestration technology beginning in 2035, or co-firing of low-GHG hydrogen beginning in 2032. The EPA expects to finalize the rule in the second quarter of 2024.

California laws and regulations have established the following targets:

For the percentage of the Utility’s estimated total net deliveries of electricity to customers in 2023, including estimated GHG-free and renewable energy percentages, see “Electric Utility Operations - Electricity Resources” below.

The CARB has also approved GHG emissions reporting and a state-wide, comprehensive cap-and-trade program that sets gradually declining limits (or “caps”) on the amount of GHGs that may be emitted by major GHG emission sources within different sectors of the economy. The cap-and-trade program has been extended through 2030. The CARB plans to update the cap-and-trade regulation in 2024 and is considering reforms that would reduce overall allowance budgets to align with CARB’s 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan.

During each year of the program, the CARB issues emission allowances (i.e., the rights to emit GHGs) equal to the amount of GHG emissions allowed for that year. Entities with a compliance obligation can obtain allowances from the CARB at quarterly auctions or from third parties or exchanges. Complying entities may also satisfy a portion of their compliance obligation through the purchase of offset credits (e.g., credits for GHG reductions achieved by third parties, such as landowners, livestock owners, and farmers, that occur outside of the entities’ facilities through CARB-qualified offset projects such as reforestation or biomass projects). The Utility expects all costs and revenues associated with the GHG cap-and-trade program to be passed through to customers.

The cap-and-trade program applies to the electric generation, large industrial, natural gas, petroleum, and transportation sectors. The Utility’s compliance obligation as a natural gas supplier applies to the GHG emissions attributable to the combustion of natural gas delivered to the Utility’s customers other than large natural gas delivery customers that are separately regulated as covered entities and have their own compliance obligations.

During 2023, the Utility continued its programs to mitigate the impact of the Utility’s operations (including customer energy usage) on the environment, consistent with the Utility’s commitment to a healthy environment and carbon neutral-energy system for all Californians.

Effectively managing physical climate risk will become increasingly critical as the physical impacts of climate change become increasingly frequent and severe over the coming years in California. The Utility’s climate resilience efforts continue to focus on characterizing and mitigating the physical impacts of climate change to the Utility’s infrastructure, assets, and operations. The Utility is making substantial investments to build a more resilient system that can better withstand extreme weather and related emergencies. For more information on such investments, see “Performance: Underpinning the Triple Bottom Line” above.

The Utility’s preparations for the physical risks of climate change include an updated, more detailed, system‑wide CVA of the Utility’s assets, operations, and services, which will be completed and filed with the CPUC in mid-2024. The updated CVA will improve the Utility’s understanding of its exposure to climate hazards in the near- and long-term and the sensitivity of assets and operations to these hazards. It will also inform the Utility’s understanding of the ease or difficulty of various options for adapting to changing conditions.

In the past few years, the Utility’s electric distribution system has experienced multiple major outage-causing events associated with extreme heat events and peak loads. Peak loads are expected to increase with increasing temperatures due to direct impacts of ambient temperatures on equipment, increased electricity demand driven by rising air conditioning installation and usage, and continued electrification of transportation and buildings.

The Utility’s assets on the coast and in or near watersheds face potential increased exposures to coastal, riverine (fluvial), and precipitation related (pluvial) flooding because of climate‑driven changes in precipitation and sea level rise. The risk of damage to or interruptions of operations at facilities such as substations is predicted to increase over time due to sea level rise. Electric and gas equipment and safe access for operations must be prepared for these changing conditions.

Changing precipitation dynamics may impact the Utility’s hydroelectric generation. Diminishing future water availability and altered runoff timing during extreme drought poses risks to hydropower generation, operations, and revenue. Also, extreme rain events suggest enhanced risk of hydropower asset damage or failure associated with flooding, which in the worst cases (e.g., uncontrolled water release) may have catastrophic impacts.

Climate change will also continue to intensify the potential for wildfires throughout California. Models incorporating future temperature and precipitation projections suggest that landscape susceptibility to wildfire within the Utility’s service area will continue to increase over time, with an expansion of areas that may become HFTD and an intensification of risk within HFTDs. Climate change may also result in increased potential of lines to cause ignitions or to require PSPS events, as well as the potential for the Utility’s equipment to sustain damage from wildfires of any origin.

The Utility’s updated CVA will be used to inform changes to design and construction standards for equipment and facilities to increase infrastructure resilience to current and future extreme weather conditions. Results from the updated CVA will be incorporated into the Utility’s key risk and planning functions, as well as asset management strategy, to identify priority adaptive actions.

The Utility has also engaged with CPUC-designated disadvantaged and vulnerable communities throughout the CVA process to better understand customer perspectives regarding energy system resilience. The Utility has conducted regional community engagement campaigns throughout its service area to understand how some of the most vulnerable communities the Utility serves think about climate hazards and adaptation. This information will help the Utility plan adaptive climate action aligned with customer and community perspectives.

In addition to updating the CVA, the Utility regularly reviews relevant scientific literature regarding climate change to incorporate appropriate information into its operations. For example, based on a report about potential major atmospheric river events, the Utility updated and modified its flooding emergency response plan.

The Utility’s commitment to increasing resilience to climate change includes aligning its resources and business strategy with California’s clean energy goals, the Utility’s climate strategy, and advocating for policies and programs that enable safe and reliable energy for the Utility’s customers in light of climate change. For example, the Utility believes its strategies to reduce GHG emissions through energy efficiency and demand response programs, infrastructure improvements, and the use of renewable energy and energy storage will help it adapt to the expected increases in demand for electricity.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility track and report their annual environmental performance results across a broad spectrum of areas. The Utility reports its GHG emissions to the CARB and the EPA on a mandatory basis. On a voluntary basis, the Utility reports a more comprehensive emissions inventory to The Climate Registry, a non-profit organization.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility also publish additional GHG emissions data in their annual Corporate Sustainability Report.

In addition to GHG emissions data provided above, the table below sets forth information about the air emissions from the Utility’s owned generation facilities. PG&E Corporation and the Utility also publish air emissions data in their annual Corporate Sustainability Report.

Nuclear power plant operations produce gaseous, liquid, and solid radioactive wastes, which are covered by federal regulation. High-level radioactive wastes primarily include used nuclear fuel. Low-level waste consists primarily of demineralizer resins, paper, protective clothing, rags, tools, and equipment contaminated through use.

Under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, the DOE and electric utilities with commercial nuclear power plants were authorized to enter into contracts under which the DOE would be required to dispose of the utilities’ spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste by January 1998, in exchange for fees paid by the utilities’ customers. The DOE has been unable to meet its contractual obligation with the Utility to dispose of nuclear waste from the Utility’s two nuclear generating units at Diablo Canyon and the retired nuclear facility at Humboldt Bay. As a result, the Utility constructed interim dry cask storage facilities to store its spent fuel onsite at Diablo Canyon and at Humboldt Bay until the DOE fulfills its contractual obligation to take possession of the spent fuel. The Utility and other nuclear power plant owners sued the DOE to recover the costs that they incurred to construct interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel.

The Utility operates under a “cost-of-service” ratemaking model, which means that rates for electric and natural gas utility services are generally set at levels that are intended to allow the Utility to recover its costs of providing service and to earn a return on invested capital (“cost-of-service ratemaking”). To set rates, the CPUC and the FERC conduct proceedings to determine the amount that the Utility will be authorized to collect from its customers (“revenue requirements”). In the GRC proceedings, the CPUC also generally approves the level of spending on a forecasted basis. Revenue authorized by the CPUC through GRC proceedings is intended to provide the Utility a reasonable opportunity to recover its costs and earn a return on its investments in generation and distribution assets and general plant (also referred to as “rate base”). The Utility’s revenue requirements consist primarily of a base amount set to enable the Utility to recover its reasonable operating expenses (e.g., maintenance, administration, and general expenses) and capital costs (e.g., depreciation, and financing expenses).

The Utility’s costs of equity and long-term debt are generally approved in the CPUC’s cost of capital proceedings.

As a result, the Utility’s CPUC-jurisdictional revenue requirement is the sum of the following:

In addition to the Utility’s revenue requirement, the CPUC authorizes the Utility to collect revenues to recover costs that the Utility is allowed to “pass through” to customers, including its costs to procure electricity and natural gas for customers and to administer public purpose and customer programs.

FERC revenue requirements are set through a FERC-approved formula rate. The Utility’s rate of return on electric transmission assets is determined in the FERC TO proceedings.

Customer rates are determined by dividing the revenues that the Utility is authorized to collect from customers by the amount of power that the Utility is forecasted to sell. Increases in load spread the Utility’s revenue requirement over a larger usage base, which reduces customer rates, but also increases fuel costs, which are passed through to customers.

Other than certain gas transmission and storage revenues, the Utility’s base revenues are “decoupled” from its sales volume through certain regulatory balancing accounts, or revenue adjustment mechanisms, that are designed to allow the Utility to collect its authorized base revenue requirements regardless of sales volume. As a result, the Utility’s base revenues are not impacted by fluctuations in sales resulting from, for example, weather or economic conditions. The Utility’s earnings primarily depend on its ability to manage its base operating and capital costs within its authorized base revenue requirements.

Due to the seasonal nature of the Utility’s business and rate design, customer electric bills are generally higher during summer months (May to October) because of higher demand, driven by air conditioning loads.  Customer bills related to gas service are generally higher during winter months (November to March) because of higher demand due to heating.

From time to time, the CPUC may use incentive ratemaking mechanisms that provide the Utility an opportunity to earn additional revenues. For example, the Utility has earned incentives for the successful implementation of energy efficiency programs.

See “Regulatory Matters” in Item 7. MD&A for more information on specific CPUC proceedings.

The GRC is the primary proceeding in which the CPUC determines the amount of base revenue requirements that the Utility is authorized to collect from customers to recover the Utility’s anticipated costs related to its electric distribution, natural gas distribution, and Utility-owned electric generation operations and return on rate base. In the past, the CPUC has generally conducted a GRC every three years. Starting with the 2023 GRC, the CPUC now conducts a GRC every four years that includes the Utility’s costs of its gas transmission and storage facilities. The CPUC approves the annual revenue requirements for the first year (or “test year”) of the GRC period and typically authorizes the Utility to receive annual increases in revenue requirements for the subsequent years of the GRC period (known as “attrition years”). Attrition year rate adjustments are generally authorized for cost increases related to invested capital and inflation. Parties to the Utility’s GRC include the Public Advocates Office of the CPUC (formerly known as Office of Ratepayer Advocates or ORA) and TURN, which generally represent the interests of residential customers, as well as numerous intervenors that represent other business, community, customer, environmental, and union interests. For more information about the Utility’s GRC, see “Regulatory Matters - 2023 General Rate Case” in Item 7. MD&A.

The CPUC periodically conducts a cost of capital proceeding to authorize the Utility’s capital structure and rates of return for its electric generation, electric and natural gas distribution, and natural gas transmission and storage rate base. The rate of return, or cost of capital, is the weighted average cost of debt, preferred equity, and common stock a utility has issued to finance its utility capital investments. The CPUC’s cost of capital proceedings generally take place in a consolidated proceeding with California’s other large investor-owned electric and gas utilities. For more information about the cost of capital proceedings, see “Regulatory Matters - Cost of Capital Proceedings” in Item 7. MD&A.

The FERC determines the amount of authorized revenue requirements, including the rate of return on electric transmission assets, that the Utility may collect through rates in the TO rate case. In its TO rate cases, the Utility uses a formula rate methodology, which includes an authorized revenue requirement and rate base for a given year but also provides for an annual update of the previous year’s revenue requirement and rates in accordance with the terms of the FERC-approved formula. Under the formula rate mechanism, transmission revenue requirements are updated to the actual cost of service annually as part of the true-up process. Differences between amounts collected and determined under the formula rate are either collected from or refunded to customers. These FERC-approved rates are included by the CPUC in the Utility’s retail electric rates and by the CAISO in its transmission access charges to wholesale customers. For more information, see “Regulatory Matters - Transmission Owner Rate Cases” in Item 7. MD&A. The Utility also recovers a portion of its revenue requirements for its wholesale electric transmission costs through charges collected under specific contracts with wholesale transmission customers that the Utility entered into before the CAISO began its operations. These wholesale customers are charged individualized rates based on the terms of their contracts.

Periodically, costs arise outside of the CPUC’s GRC proceedings or that have been deliberately excluded therefrom. These costs may result from catastrophic events, changes in regulation, new programs, or extraordinary changes in operating practices. The Utility may seek authority to track incremental costs in a memorandum account, and the CPUC may authorize recovery of costs tracked in memorandum accounts if the costs are deemed reasonable. For instance, these accounts allow the Utility to track the costs associated with work related to disaster and wildfire response, and other wildfire prevention-related costs. Recovery of the costs tracked in these memorandum accounts through rates requires CPUC authorization in separate proceedings, the outcome of which the Utility may be unable to predict. Alternatively, the Utility may seek authority to track incremental costs related to these non-GRC programs in balancing accounts. The CPUC may authorize recovery of costs tracked in the balancing accounts on either a “one-way” basis, which typically only allows actual costs to be recovered up to a pre-established cap, or a “two-way” basis, which typically allows actual costs to be recovered, and in some cases subject to further CPUC review. For more information, see “Regulatory Matters - Cost Recovery Proceedings” in Item 7. MD&A and Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

During the period of extended operations and in lieu of the traditional rate-based return on investment, SB 846 provides for a fixed payment of $50 million, in 2022 dollars, for each of Diablo Canyon’s Unit 1 and Unit 2 for each year of extended operations to be recovered from customers of all CPUC-jurisdictional LSEs, which is potentially subject to adjustment downward in the event of extended unplanned outages. In addition, SB 846 authorizes a volumetric payment totaling $13 (in 2022 dollars) for each MWh generated by Diablo Canyon during the period of extended operations, with the first half recovered from all CPUC-jurisdictional LSEs and the second half from customers in the Utility’s service area. The amount of the fixed and volumetric payments will be adjusted annually by the CPUC using CPUC-approved escalation methodologies and adjustment factors. The volumetric payment cannot be realized as shareholder profits or paid out as dividends, to the extent it is not needed for Diablo Canyon. The legislation includes language that limits use of the volumetric payment to investments in the system and for customers that address critical state priorities.

California IOUs are responsible for procuring electrical capacity required to meet bundled customer demand, plus applicable reserve margins. The utilities are responsible for scheduling and bidding electric generation resources, including certain electricity procured from third parties, into the wholesale market to meet customer demand according to which resources are the least expensive (i.e., using the principles of “least-cost dispatch”). In addition, the utilities are required to obtain CPUC approval of their BPPs based on long-term demand forecasts. In October 2015, the CPUC approved the Utility’s most recent comprehensive BPP. It has been revised since its initial approval, and the revised version will remain in effect, subject to any further revisions, until superseded by a subsequent CPUC-approved plan.

California law allows electric utilities to recover the costs incurred in compliance with their CPUC-approved BPPs without further after-the-fact reasonableness review by the CPUC. The CPUC may disallow costs associated with electricity purchases if the costs were not incurred in compliance with the CPUC-approved plan or if the CPUC determines that the utility failed to follow the principles of least-cost dispatch. Additionally, the CPUC may disallow the value of lost generation due to unplanned outages at utility-owned generation facilities.

The Utility recovers its electric procurement costs annually primarily through balancing accounts. See Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. Each year, the CPUC reviews the Utility’s forecasted procurement costs related to power purchase agreements, derivative instruments, GHG emissions costs, and generation fuel expense, and approves a forecasted revenue requirement. The CPUC may adjust the Utility’s retail electric rates more frequently if the forecasted aggregate over-collections or under-collections in the Energy Resource Recovery Account, net of bundled service customer Portfolio Allocation Balancing Account balances, exceed five percent of its prior year electric procurement and Utility-owned generation revenues. The CPUC performs an annual compliance review of the procurement transactions recovered in various balancing accounts, including the Energy Resource Recovery Account and the Portfolio Allocation Balancing Account.

The CPUC has approved various power purchase agreements into which the Utility has entered with third parties in accordance with the Utility’s CPUC-approved BPP, to meet mandatory renewable energy targets, and to comply with RA requirements. For more information, see “Electric Utility Operations - Electricity Resources” below as well as Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The Utility is also responsible, as the central procurement entity (“CPE”) for its distribution service area, for seeking to procure the entire amount of required local RA on behalf of all CPUC-jurisdictional LSEs in its distribution service area. CPUC decisions grant the Utility, acting as CPE, discretion to defer procurement of local resources to the CAISO’s backstop mechanisms if bid costs are deemed unreasonably high. The Utility, as the CPE, will not be assessed fines or penalties for failing to procure resources to meet the local RA requirements and deferring local procurement to the CAISO backstop mechanism, so long as the CPE exercised reasonable efforts to secure capacity and certain specified requirements are met. In addition, the Utility, as the CPE, has been ordered or authorized to seek to procure specific local capacity products pursuant to CPUC decisions. In connection with its CPE function, the Utility is responsible for making compliance demonstrations to the CPUC and the CAISO. The Utility recovers its administrative and procurement costs associated with its CPE function through a balancing account. Each year, the CPUC reviews the Utility’s forecasted administrative costs related to the CPE function and approves a forecasted revenue requirement associated with the administrative costs. The CPUC performs an annual compliance review of the CPE function, including procurement transactions with terms of five years or less (for which costs incurred in compliance with certain prescribed criteria are deemed reasonable and pre-approved without further after-the-fact reasonableness review). Procurement transactions with terms exceeding five years are reviewed separately. The CPUC may disallow costs associated with the CPE function that were not incurred in compliance with the CPUC’s decisions and guidance.

The CPUC has also approved the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (“PCIA”). The PCIA is a cost recovery mechanism to ensure that customers who switch from the Utility’s bundled service to a non-Utility provider, such as a DA or CCA provider, pay their share of the above-market costs associated with long-term power purchase commitments and Utility-owned generation made on their behalf.

The Utility recovers the cost of gas used in generation facilities as a cost of electricity that is recovered annually through retail electric rates.

The Utility sets the natural gas procurement rate for small commercial and residential customers (referred to as “core” customers) monthly, based on the forecasted costs of natural gas, core pipeline capacity and storage costs. The Utility recovers the cost of gas purchased on behalf of core customers as well as the cost of derivative instruments for its core gas portfolio, through its retail gas rates, subject to limits as set forth in its CPIM described below. The Utility reflects the difference between actual natural gas purchase costs and forecasted natural gas purchase costs in several natural gas balancing accounts, with adjustments for under-collections and over-collections made in subsequent monthly rate changes.

The CPIM protects the Utility against after-the-fact reasonableness reviews of its gas procurement costs for its core gas portfolio. Under the CPIM, the Utility’s natural gas purchase costs for a fixed 12-month period are compared to an aggregate market-based benchmark based on a weighted average of published monthly and daily natural gas price indices at the points where the Utility typically purchases natural gas. Costs that fall within a tolerance band, which is 99% to 102% of the commodity benchmark, are considered reasonable and are fully recovered through rates. One-half of the costs above 102% of the benchmark are recoverable through rates, and the Utility’s customers receive in their rates 80% of any savings resulting from the Utility’s cost of natural gas that is less than 99% of the benchmark. The Utility retains the remaining amount of these savings as incentive revenues, subject to a cap equal to 1.5% of total natural gas commodity costs. While this mechanism remains in place, changes in the price of natural gas, consistent with the market-based benchmark, are not expected to materially impact net income.

The Utility incurs transportation costs under various agreements with interstate and Canadian third-party transportation service providers. These providers transport natural gas from the points at which the Utility takes delivery of natural gas (typically in Canada, the U.S. Rocky Mountains, and the southwestern United States) to the points at which the Utility’s natural gas transportation system begins. These agreements are governed by FERC-approved tariffs that detail rates, rules, and terms of service for the provision of natural gas transportation services to the Utility on interstate and Canadian pipelines. The FERC approves the United States tariffs governing payments by shippers (including the Utility) for pipeline service, and the Canada Energy Regulator, the Canadian regulatory agency, approves the applicable Canadian tariffs. The transportation costs the Utility incurs under these agreements are recovered through CPUC-approved rates as core natural gas procurement costs or as a cost of electricity.

The CPUC authorizes the Utility to recover the costs of various public purpose and other customer programs through the collection of rates from most Utility customers.  These programs relate to energy efficiency, demand response, distributed generation, energy research and development, and other matters.  Additionally, the CPUC has authorized the Utility to provide discounted rates for specified types of customers, such as for low-income customers under the CARE program, which is paid for by the Utility’s other customers.

The Utility’s nuclear power facilities consist of two units at Diablo Canyon and the retired facility at Humboldt Bay. Nuclear decommissioning requires the safe removal of nuclear facilities from service and the reduction of residual radioactivity to a level that permits termination of the NRC license and release of the property for unrestricted use. Nuclear decommissioning costs are generally collected in advance through rates and are held in nuclear decommissioning trusts to be used for the eventual decommissioning of each nuclear unit. The Utility files an application with the CPUC every three years requesting approval of the Utility’s updated estimated decommissioning costs and any rate change necessary to fully fund the nuclear decommissioning trusts to the levels needed to decommission the Utility’s nuclear plants. If the nuclear decommissioning trusts are overfunded, the amount of such overfunding will be returned to customers. Pursuant to Public Utilities Code Section 8325, to the extent the monies available for decommissioning are insufficient to pay for all reasonable and prudent decommissioning costs, the CPUC must authorize the electric utility to collect these charges from its customers.

For costs related to AROs, see “Asset Retirement Obligations” in Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

As of December 31, 2023, PG&E Corporation had 10 employees and the Utility had approximately 28,000 regular employees. Of the Utility’s regular employees, approximately 17,000 are covered by collective bargaining agreements with the local chapters of three labor unions: the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (“IBEW”) Local 1245; the Engineers and Scientists of California (“ESC”) IFPTE 20; and the Service Employees International Union Local 24/7 (“SEIU”). The collective bargaining agreements in effect for the IBEW Local 1245, ESC Local 20, and SEIU United Service Workers West, are set to expire on December 31, 2025. The agreements increase wages annually by 3.75% from 2022 through 2025 and maintain current contributions to specified benefits. The IBEW, ESC, and SEIU represent approximately 63% of the Utility’s employee workforce and support several areas of the Utility’s business, including gas and electric operations. The Utility enjoys stable and productive relationships with its unions and did not experience any work stoppages in 2023.

PG&E Corporation’s employees are primarily at the executive management level. The Utility generally has a stable workforce. The Utility’s turnover rates for 2023 and 2022 were 4.0% and 7.1%, respectively. Approximately 42% of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s employees have a tenure of more than 10 years, with an average tenure of 11 years. Approximately 18% of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s employees are eligible to retire. (PG&E Corporation and the Utility define retirement age as 55 years and older.)

The Utility’s contractors and subcontractors include approximately 30,000 individuals from approximately 1,000 contractor companies.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s human capital resource objectives are to build and retain an engaged, well trained, diverse, and equitable workforce. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Boards of Directors are responsible for overseeing management’s development and execution of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s human capital strategy.

To build employee engagement, the Utility has a variety of both executive-level and employee-led initiatives and programs. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s executive teams meet regularly to discuss and evaluate the state of employee talent, determine which programs are driving engagement and performance, and clarify the specific skills, behaviors, and virtues that should be cultivated. Each year, the Utility honors employees whose work embodies safety, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, environmental leadership, innovation, and community service. The Utility conducts an annual employee survey to measure and improve employee engagement.

Every year, PG&E Corporation and the Utility offer or require technical, leadership, and employee training, which includes a range of technical training for employees on the knowledge and skills required to perform their jobs safely using approved tools and work procedures. In addition, employees are required to complete annual compliance and ethics training and a Code of Conduct training, both of which are intended to promote a culture in which employees are encouraged to speak up with any concerns or ideas for continuous improvement. In addition, the Utility offers a variety of other trainings and education opportunities. In 2023, the Utility significantly expanded its training for supervisors.

Among other programs, the Utility provides career opportunities through its PowerPathway™ workforce development program. Launched in 2008, PowerPathway is a workforce development model to enlarge the talent pool of local, qualified, diverse candidates for skilled craft and utility industry jobs through training program partnerships with educational, community-based and government organizations. PowerPathway helps people throughout the Utility’s service area, including women and military veterans, prepare and compete for high demand jobs in the utility and energy industry. Students receive approximately eight weeks of industry-informed curriculum to ensure the academic, job specific, employability skills and physical training necessary to effectively compete for entry-level employment. Programs may also include hands-on training and on-the-job training.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility also provide integrated solutions and programs for employee health and wellness that encompass physical, mental, and financial health. These resources include several on-site or near-site health clinics, annual health screenings, health management tools, ergonomic support, and injury management programs, in addition to more traditional programs.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial incentives offered to employees include a Short-Term Incentive Plan (“STIP”), an at-risk part of employee compensation designed to reward eligible employees for achieving specific performance goals. The 2023 STIP was focused on company objectives of safety, customer impact, and financial health.

All PG&E Corporation and Utility officer compensation currently is funded by shareholders.

The Utility’s strategy to deliver on safety outcomes focuses on workforce and public safety. In 2023, in addition to deploying a safety management system, the Utility targets mitigations to the highest risk work. The Utility’s safety metrics include the number of actual serious incidents or fatalities (“SIF-A”) incidents and the “SIF-P” rate, which measures events that could have resulted in a SIF-A per 200,000 hours worked. In 2023, the Utility had four SIF-A incidents, which resulted in two fatalities and two serious injuries, and a SIF-P rate of 0.1. Additionally, the Utility measures DART (days away, restricted or transferred duty per 200,000 hours worked). In 2023, the Utility’s DART was 0.7. In particular, the Utility improved safety through the reduction of preventable motor vehicle incidents (“PMVI”). In 2023, the Utility’s PMVI rate was the lowest rate in the last eight years.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s goal is to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce culture where all employees find it enjoyable to work with and for PG&E Corporation and the Utility and feel they belong. These efforts are led by PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer, in partnership with the executive team. The People and Compensation Committee of PG&E Corporation’s Board of Directors reviews the companies’ diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging strategy, practices, and performance.

Key elements of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s approach include active programming to heighten cultural awareness, encourage understanding and appreciation of diversity, and integrate thoughtful content into training, development, and performance support resources.

Additionally, the Utility’s 12 Employee Resource Groups and three Engineering Network Groups execute enterprise-wide employee programming, nominated employees lead efforts within their departments, and other specialized teams facilitate dialogue across the companies.

In 2023, women, minorities, and military veterans accounted for approximately 26%, 50%, and 7%, respectively, of total PG&E Corporation and Utility employees. Approximately 9% of the Utility’s employees are younger than 30, 62% are between the ages of 30 and 49, and 29% are 50 or older.

The Utility generates electricity and provides electric transmission and distribution services throughout its service area in northern and central California to residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers. The Utility provides electricity, transmission, and distribution services in its service area. Customers also can obtain electricity from alternative providers such as municipalities or CCAs, as well as from self-generation resources, such as rooftop solar installations. For more information, see “Competition” below.

The Utility is required to maintain adequate capacity to meet its customers’ demand for electricity (“load”), including peak demand and planning and operating reserves, deliverable to the locations and at times as may be necessary to provide reliable electric service. The Utility is responsible for scheduling and bidding electric generation resources, including certain electricity procured from third parties into the wholesale market, to meet customer demand.

The following table shows the percentage of the Utility’s estimated total net deliveries of electricity to customers in 2023 represented by each major electric resource, and further discussed below. The Utility’s deliveries were primarily from renewable energy resources that qualify under California’s RPS and other GHG-free resources (i.e., nuclear, and large hydroelectric generation). California’s RPS requirements and SB 100 goal is to serve 100% of retail electricity sales with GHG-free resources by 2045. For more information about California’s RPS requirements and clean energy goals, see further below and in the Environmental Regulation section above.

California law established an RPS that requires LSEs, such as the Utility, to gradually increase the amount of renewable energy they deliver to their customers. See “Environmental Regulation - Air Quality and Climate Change” above. The Utility may in the future incur additional costs to procure renewable energy to meet the new renewable energy targets, which the Utility expects will continue to be recoverable through rates as “pass-through” costs. The Utility also may be subject to penalties for failure to meet the higher targets.

Renewable generation resources, for purposes of the RPS requirements, include bioenergy such as biogas and biomass, certain hydroelectric facilities (30 MW or less), wind, solar, and geothermal energy. RPS requirements are based on procurement, which aligns with the methodology presented in the first column of the table above. Procurement from renewable energy sources was estimated to comprise 37% of total annual retail sales in 2023. Per the Power Content Label methodology based on current CEC guidelines presented in the table above, an estimated 34% of the Utility’s energy deliveries were from renewable energy sources in 2023.

The estimated total renewable deliveries as of December 31, 2023, shown above was 9,676 GWh and comprised of the following:

Energy storage improves system reliability and supports California’s decarbonization goals by integrating increased levels of renewable energy. The CPUC has established a multi-year energy storage procurement framework, under which the Utility was required to procure 580 MW of qualifying storage capacity by the end of 2020, with all energy storage projects required to be operational by the end of 2024. As of December 31, 2023, the Utility was on track to meet its storage goals by the end of 2024.

Additionally, the Utility has been actively procuring energy storage to meet critical reliability needs. The CPUC previously approved more than 1,100 MW of storage to come online in 2022 and 2023. In January 2022, the Utility also requested CPUC approval for another 1,600 MW of storage to be completed by the summer of 2024, which would bring the Utility’s total energy storage system capacity to more than 3,330 MW. Finally, the Utility is soliciting 200 MW of long-duration storage, which is storage with at least eight hours of discharge capacity, to have these resources online between 2026 and 2028. In order to address both its bundled portfolio need and to help to meet State planning and policy objectives to increase long-duration storage capacity after 2028, the Utility is pursuing regulatory approval to increase the nameplate generating capacity of its Helms Pumped Storage Facility.

At December 31, 2023, the Utility owned the following generation facilities, all located in California, listed by energy source and further described below:

The Utility has applied to transfer its non-nuclear generation assets to Pacific Generation and potentially sell a minority interest in Pacific Generation. (For more information, see “Application with Pacific Generation for Approval to Transfer Non-Nuclear Generation Assets” in Item 7. MD&A below.)

The Utility has entered into various agreements to purchase power and electric capacity, including agreements for renewable energy resources, in accordance with its CPUC-approved procurement plan. See “Ratemaking Mechanisms” above. For more information regarding the Utility’s power purchase agreements, see Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Transmission lines deliver electricity at high voltages and over long distances from power sources to transmission substations closer to customers. A strong transmission system supports reliable and affordable service, ability to meet state energy policy goals, and support for a diverse generation mix, including renewable energy.

As of December 31, 2023, the Utility owned approximately 18,000 circuit miles of interconnected transmission lines operating at voltages ranging from 60 kV to 500 kV. The Utility also operated 33 electric transmission substations with a capacity of approximately 66,000 MVA. The Utility’s electric transmission system is interconnected with electric power systems in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, which includes many western states, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and parts of Mexico.

Decisions about expansions and maintenance of the transmission system can be influenced by decisions of the Utility’s regulators and the CAISO.

Distribution lines allow electricity to travel at lower voltages from substations directly to customers. The Utility’s electric distribution network consists of approximately 108,000 circuit miles of distribution lines (of which, as of December 31, 2023, approximately 26% are underground and approximately 74% are overhead), 67 transmission switching substations, and 752 distribution substations with a capacity of approximately 36,000 MVA. The Utility’s distribution network interconnects with its transmission system, primarily at switching and distribution substations, where equipment reduces the high-voltage transmission voltages to lower voltages, suitable for distribution to the Utility’s customers.

These distribution substations serve as the central hubs for the Utility’s electric distribution network. Emanating from each substation are primary and secondary distribution lines connected to local transformers and switching equipment that link distribution lines and provide delivery to customers. In some cases, third parties, such as municipal and other utilities, who generate or procure their own power rely upon the Utility’s distribution facilities to deliver their power to them, so that they are able to resell the electricity. The Utility operates electric distribution control center facilities in Concord, Rocklin, and Fresno, California; these control centers form a key part of the Utility’s efforts to create a smarter, more resilient grid.

The following table shows certain of the Utility’s operating statistics from 2021 to 2023 for electricity sold or delivered, including the classification of revenues by type of service. No single customer of the Utility accounted for 10% or more of consolidated revenues for electricity sold in 2023, 2022 or 2021.

The Utility generally does not provide procurement service to non-core customers, which must purchase their gas supplies from third-party suppliers, unless the customer is a natural gas-fired generation facility with which the Utility has a power purchase agreement that includes its generation fuel expense. The Utility offers backbone gas transmission, gas delivery (local transmission and distribution), and gas storage services as separate and distinct services to its non-core customers.  Access to the Utility’s backbone gas transmission system is available for all natural gas marketers and shippers, as well as non-core customers.  The Utility also delivers gas to off-system customers (i.e., outside of the Utility’s service area) and to third-party natural gas storage customers.

The Utility can receive natural gas from all the major natural gas basins in western North America, including basins in western Canada, the Rocky Mountains, and the southwestern United States. The Utility can also receive natural gas from fields in California. The Utility purchases natural gas to serve its core customers directly from producers and marketers in both Canada and the United States. The contract lengths and natural gas sources of the Utility’s portfolio of natural gas purchase contracts have varied generally based on market conditions. During 2023, the Utility purchased approximately 299,000 MMcf of natural gas (net of the sale of excess supply of gas). Substantially all of this natural gas was purchased under contracts with a term of one year or less. The Utility’s largest individual supplier represented approximately 54% of the total natural gas volume the Utility purchased during 2023.

The Utility owns and operates an integrated natural gas transmission, storage, and distribution system that includes most of northern and central California. At December 31, 2023, the Utility’s natural gas system consisted of approximately 44,200 miles of distribution pipelines, over 6,400 miles of backbone and local transmission pipelines, and various storage facilities. The Utility owns and operates eight natural gas compressor stations on its backbone transmission system and one compressor station on its local transmission system that are used to move gas through the Utility’s pipelines. The Utility’s backbone transmission system is used to transport gas from the Utility’s interconnection with interstate pipelines, other local distribution companies, and California gas fields to the Utility’s local transmission and distribution systems.

The Utility has firm transportation agreements for the transportation of natural gas from various natural gas supply points and interconnection points to the Utility’s natural gas transportation system. These agreements provide transportation service from western Canada to the United States-Canada border, from the United States-Canada border to an interconnection point with the Utility’s natural gas transportation system at the Oregon-California border, from the U.S. Rocky Mountains to an interconnection point with the Utility’s natural gas transportation system at the Oregon-California border, and from supply points in the southwestern United States to interconnection points with the Utility’s natural gas transportation system in the area of California near Topock, Arizona. (For more information regarding the Utility’s natural gas transportation agreements, see Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.)

The Utility owns and operates three underground natural gas storage fields and has a 25% interest in a fourth storage field, all of which are connected to the Utility’s gas transmission system.  In 2019, the CPUC approved the discontinuation, through closure or sale, of operations at two of the Utility’s owned and operated gas storage fields, Pleasant Creek and Los Medanos. The Utility expects to close on the sale of Pleasant Creek in 2024. The Utility plans to keep the Los Medanos storage field in operation as filed and approved in the 2023 GRC. The Utility owns and operates compressors and other facilities at these storage fields that are used to inject gas into the fields for storage and later for withdrawal.  In addition, four independent storage operators are interconnected to the Utility’s Northern California gas transmission system.

In 2023, the Utility continued upgrading transmission pipeline to allow for the use of in-line inspection tools.

The following table shows the Utility’s operating statistics from 2021 through 2023 (excluding subsidiaries) for natural gas, including the classification of revenues by type of service. No single customer of the Utility accounted for 10% or more of consolidated revenues for bundled gas sales in 2023, 2022 or 2021.

The Utility expects customer electric load to increase in coming years primarily as a result of electrification of buildings and transportation. The Utility is not able to predict how quickly this electrification will occur. The Utility expects customer demand for gas to decrease in the coming years, primarily in response to policies supporting California’s climate goals.

California law allows qualifying non-residential electric customers of IOUs to purchase electricity from energy service providers rather than from the utilities up to certain annual limits specified for each utility. This arrangement is known as DA. In addition, California law permits cities, counties, and certain other public agencies that have qualified to become a CCA to generate or purchase electricity for their local residents and businesses. By law, a CCA can procure electricity for all of its residents and businesses that do not affirmatively elect to continue to receive electricity generated or procured by a utility.

The Utility continues to provide transmission, distribution, metering, and billing services to DA customers at the election of their energy service provider. The CCA customers continue to obtain transmission, distribution, metering, and billing services from the Utility. In addition to collecting charges for transmission, distribution, metering, and billing services that it provides, the Utility is able to collect charges intended to recover the generation-related costs that the Utility incurred on behalf of DA and CCA customers while they were the Utility’s customers. The Utility remains the electricity provider of last resort for these customers. Section 387 of the Public Utilities Code allows for a request to transfer the responsibilities of the provider of last resort obligation from IOUs to other entities.

The Utility is also impacted by an increasing quantity of distributed generation and energy storage. The levels of self-generation of electricity by customers (primarily solar installations) and customer enrollment in NEM, which allows self-generating customers employing qualifying renewable resources to receive bill credits at the full retail rate, put upward rate pressure on non-NEM customers. The successor to the NEM tariffs, the NBT, will provide bill credits at a lower rate, which reduces the level of upward rate pressure on non-NEM or non-NBT customers, but does not eliminate such upward rate pressure. Like NEM customers, customers interconnecting on the NBT, are required to pay an interconnection fee, utilize time of use rates, and pay certain non-bypassable charges to help fund some of the costs of low income, energy efficiency, and other programs that other customers pay. Significantly higher bills for non-NEM or non-NBT customers may result in a decline of the number of such customers as they may seek alternative energy providers or adopt self-generation technologies. See “Concerns about high rates for the Utility’s customers could negatively impact PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows” in Item 1A. Risk Factors and “Regulatory Matters - OIR to Revisit Net Energy Metering Tariffs” in Item 7. MD&A.

Further, in some circumstances, governmental entities such as cities and irrigation districts may have authority under the state constitution or state statute to provide retail electric service directly to consumers, in some cases bypassing the Utility’s electric infrastructure entirely. Those entities may also rely upon FERC open access tariffs and Utility infrastructure to deliver their energy for resale at retail to existing or potential new Utility customers. These entities may also seek to acquire the Utility’s transmission or distribution facilities through eminent domain for use in serving electricity at retail to existing or potential new Utility customers. As a result, the Utility could lose customers (residential, commercial, and industrial) or experience limited growth in the municipality. See “Jurisdictions may attempt to acquire the Utility’s assets through eminent domain, and third parties may attempt to acquire the Utility’s customers by bypassing the Utility’s electric infrastructure system” in Item 1A. Risk Factors. It is also expected that some publicly-owned utilities will build new or duplicate transmission or distribution facilities to serve existing or potential new Utility customers, bypassing the Utility’s electric infrastructure. In some instances, microgrid formation is a key factor in a community’s choice to engage governmental entities. Some private companies have also called for changes in law that could allow those companies to privately serve electricity to retail customers without being regulated by the CPUC as public utilities. To the extent such changes occur and result in large customers reducing the share of transmission, distribution, and non-bypassable charges they pay, PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition and results of operations could be materially impacted.

The effect of such types of retail competition generally is to reduce the number of utility customers, leading to decreased growth or a reduction in the Utility’s rate base.

The Utility also competes for the opportunity to develop and construct certain types of electric transmission facilities within, or interconnected to, its service area through a competitive bidding process managed by the CAISO.

For risks in connection with increasing competition, see Item 1A. Risk Factors.

The Utility competes with other natural gas pipeline companies for customers transporting natural gas into the southern California market on the basis of transportation rates, access to competitively priced supplies of natural gas, and the quality and reliability of transportation services. The Utility also competes for storage services with other third-party storage providers, primarily in Northern California.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial results can be affected by many factors, including estimates and assumptions used in the critical accounting estimates described in Item 7. MD&A, that can cause their actual financial results to differ materially from historical results or from anticipated future financial results.  The following discussion of key risk factors should be considered in evaluating an investment in PG&E Corporation and the Utility and should be read in conjunction with Item 7. MD&A and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this 2023 Form 10-K.  Any of these factors, in whole or in part, could materially affect PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

The following is a summary of the principal risks that could adversely affect our business, operations, and financial results. These risks are discussed more fully below.

If the Utility does not have an approved WMP, the Utility will not be issued a safety certification and will consequently not benefit from the presumption of prudency or the AB 1054 disallowance cap. Under AB 1054, the Utility is required to maintain a safety certification issued by the OEIS to be eligible for certain benefits, including a cap on Wildfire Fund reimbursement and a reformed prudent manager standard. The AB 1054 Wildfire Fund disallowance cap, which caps the amount of liability that the Utility could be required to bear for a catastrophic wildfire, is inapplicable if the Wildfire Fund administrator determines that the electric utility company’s actions or inactions that resulted in the applicable wildfire constituted “conscious or willful disregard for the rights and safety of others,” or the electric utility company fails to maintain a valid safety certification at the time the applicable wildfire ignited. In addition, if the Utility fails to maintain a valid safety certification at the time a wildfire ignites, the initial burden of proof in a prudency proceeding shifts from intervenors to the Utility. The Utility will be required to reimburse amounts that are determined by the CPUC not to be just and reasonable. For more information on the disallowance cap, see Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Furthermore, the Wildfire Fund will only be available for payment of eligible claims so long as there are sufficient funds remaining in the Wildfire Fund. Such funds could be depleted more quickly than expected, including as a result of claims made by California’s other participating electric utility companies. If the Utility is unable to maintain an AB 1054 safety certification or if the Wildfire Fund is exhausted, the inability to access the Wildfire Fund could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows. Also, the Utility will not be able to obtain any recovery from the Wildfire Fund for wildfire-related losses in any year that do not exceed the greater of $1.0 billion in the aggregate and the amount of insurance coverage required under AB 1054.

The costs of participating in the Wildfire Fund are expected to exceed $6.7 billion over the ten-year contribution period for the fund. The timing and amount of any potential charges associated with the Utility’s contributions would also depend on various factors. In addition, there could also be a significant delay between the occurrence of a wildfire and the timing on which the Utility recognizes impairment for the reduction in future coverage due to the lack of data available to the Utility following a catastrophic event, especially if the wildfire occurs in the service area of another participating electric utility. Participation in the Wildfire Fund is expected to have a material impact on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows, and the benefits of participating in the Wildfire Fund may not ultimately outweigh these substantial costs.

Based on the facts and circumstances available as of the date of this report, PG&E Corporation and the Utility have determined that it is probable they will incur losses in connection with the 2019 Kincade fire, the 2020 Zogg fire, the 2021 Dixie fire, and the 2022 Mosquito fire. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s recorded liabilities for probable losses in connection with these fires correspond to the lower end of the range of reasonably estimable losses unless there is a better estimate, do not include several categories of potential damages that are not reasonably estimable, and are subject to change based on new information. The Utility could be subject to significant liability in excess of recoveries that would be expected to have a material impact on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility have been the subject of investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, or criminal proceedings in connection with wildfires and could be the subject of additional investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, or criminal proceedings in connection with the 2019 Kincade fire, the 2020 Zogg fire, the 2021 Dixie fire, the 2022 Mosquito fire, or other wildfires. For more information, see Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Under California law (including Penal Code section 1202.4), if the Utility were convicted of any charges in connection with a wildfire, the sentencing court must order the Utility to “make restitution to the victim or victims in an amount established by court order” that is “sufficient to fully reimburse the victim or victims for every determined economic loss incurred as the result of” the Utility’s underlying conduct, in addition to interest and the victim’s or victims’ attorneys’ fees. This requirement for full reimbursement of economic loss is not waivable by either the government or the victims and is not offset by any compensation that the victims have received or may receive from their insurance carriers.

There have been numerous other wildfires in the Utility’s service area, of which the Utility has not been alleged or determined to be a cause. The Utility could be alleged or determined to be a cause of one or more of these wildfires.

Additionally, under the doctrine of inverse condemnation, courts have imposed liability against utilities on the grounds that losses borne by the person whose property was damaged through a public-use undertaking should be spread across the community that benefited from such undertaking, even if the utility is unable to recover these costs through rates. In fact, in December 2017, the CPUC denied recovery of costs that San Diego Gas & Electric Company stated it had incurred as a result of the doctrine of inverse condemnation. Legal challenges to that denial were unsuccessful. Plaintiffs have asserted and continue to assert the doctrine of inverse condemnation in lawsuits related to certain wildfires that occurred in the Utility’s service area. Inverse condemnation imposes strict liability (including liability for attorneys’ fees) for damages as a result of the design, construction and maintenance of utility facilities, including utilities’ electric transmission lines. The Utility continues to dispute the applicability of inverse condemnation to the Utility, but the Utility may not be successful in challenging the applicability of inverse condemnation in the 2019 Kincade fire, the 2020 Zogg fire, the 2021 Dixie fire, the 2022 Mosquito fire, or other litigation against PG&E Corporation or the Utility.

Although the Utility has taken extensive measures to reduce the threat of future wildfires, the potential that the Utility’s equipment will be involved in the ignition of future wildfires, including catastrophic wildfires, is significant. This risk may be attributable to, and exacerbated by, a variety of factors, including climate (in particular, extended periods of seasonal dryness coupled with periods of high wind velocities and other storms), infrastructure, and vegetation conditions. The Utility’s significant infrastructure investment, vegetation management, and de-energization strategies do not eliminate wildfire risk and may not prevent future wildfires. Once an ignition has occurred, the Utility is unable to control the extent of damages. The extent of damages for a wildfire is primarily determined by environmental conditions (including weather and vegetation conditions), third-party suppression efforts, and the location of the wildfire.

In addition, wildfires have had and could continue to have (as a result of any future wildfires) adverse consequences on the Utility’s proceedings with the CPUC and the FERC, and future regulatory proceedings, including future applications with the OEIS for the safety certification required by AB 1054. PG&E Corporation and the Utility may also suffer additional reputational harm and face an even more challenging operating, political, and regulatory environment as a result of the 2019 Kincade fire, the 2020 Zogg fire, the 2021 Dixie fire, the 2022 Mosquito fire, or any future wildfires. For more information about the 2019 Kincade fire, the 2020 Zogg fire, the 2021 Dixie fire, and the 2022 Mosquito fire, see Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The Utility could incur substantial costs in excess of insurance coverage or amounts potentially available under the Wildfire Fund under AB 1054 in the future in connection with the 2019 Kincade fire, the 2020 Zogg fire, the 2021 Dixie fire, and the 2022 Mosquito fire. The Utility may not be allowed to recover costs in excess of insurance or amounts potentially available under the Wildfire Fund under AB 1054 in the future either through FERC TO rates or as costs recorded to the WEMA, even if a court decision were to determine that the Utility is liable as a result of the application of the doctrine of inverse condemnation. The inability to recover all or a significant portion of costs in excess of insurance through rates or by collecting such rates in a timely manner could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows. For more information on wildfire recovery risk, see “The Wildfire Fund and other provisions of AB 1054 may not effectively mitigate the risk of liability for damages arising from catastrophic wildfires” above and Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The Utility’s infrastructure is aging and poses risks to safety and system reliability. The Utility’s wildfire mitigation initiatives may not be successful or effective in preventing or reducing wildfire-related losses. The Utility will face a higher likelihood of catastrophic wildfires in its service area if it cannot effectively implement these efforts and its WMPs. For example, the Utility may not be able to effectively implement its WMPs if it experiences unanticipated difficulties relative to sourcing, engaging, training, overseeing, or retaining contract workers it needs to fulfill its mitigation obligations under the WMPs. The CPUC will assess penalties on the Utility if there is a finding that the Utility has failed to substantially comply with its WMPs.

Wildfires can occur even when the Utility follows its procedures. For instance, a wildfire may be ignited and spread even in conditions that do not trigger proactive de-energization according to criteria for initiating a PSPS event or where EPSS has been implemented on Utility equipment. The Utility’s inspections of vegetation near its assets may not detect structural weaknesses within a tree or other issues. If the Utility’s wildfire mitigation initiatives are not effective, a wildfire could be ignited and spread.

In addition, on a risk-informed basis, the Utility is making efforts to reduce the frequency and impacts of PSPS. The Utility may be subject to mandated changes to, or restrictions on, its operational practices, regulatory fines and penalties, claims for damages, and reputational harm if the Utility does not execute PSPS in compliance with applicable rules and regulations. The Utility establishes the criteria under which it implements PSPS in its territory. To the extent the Utility’s criteria for implementing PSPS are not sufficient to mitigate the risk of wildfires, the Utility does not fully implement PSPS when criteria are met due to other overriding conditions or the Utility’s regulators mandate changes to, or restrictions on, its criteria or other operational PSPS practices, the Utility will face a higher likelihood of catastrophic wildfires in its territory during high-risk weather conditions.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility cannot predict the timing and outcome of the various proceedings and litigation in connection with its wildfire mitigation initiatives. PG&E Corporation and the Utility could be subject to additional investigations, regulatory proceedings, or other enforcement actions as well as to additional litigation and claims by customers as a result of the Utility’s implementation of its wildfire mitigation initiatives, which could result in fines, penalties, customer rebates, other payments, or the Utility’s failure to obtain cost recovery for amounts expended on these initiatives. The amount of any fines, penalties, customer rebates or other payments (if PG&E Corporation or the Utility were to issue any credits, rebates or other payments in connection with any other wildfire mitigation initiatives or liability for damages) could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows. In addition, the PSPS and EPSS programs have had an adverse impact on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s reputation with customers, regulators and policymakers and future PSPS events and EPSS outages may increase these negative perceptions. For more information, see “Regulatory Matters” in Item 7. MD&A.

The Utility owns and operates extensive electricity and natural gas facilities, including two nuclear generation units and an extensive hydroelectric generating system. See “Electric Utility Operations” and “Natural Gas Utility Operations” in Item 1 above. The Utility undertakes substantial capital investment projects to construct, replace, and improve its electricity and natural gas facilities. In addition, the Utility is obligated to decommission its electricity generation facilities at the end of their useful operating lives. For more information, see “The operation and decommissioning of the Utility’s nuclear generation facilities expose it to potentially significant liabilities, and the Utility may not be able to fully recover its costs if regulatory requirements or operating conditions change or the facilities cease operations before the licenses expire” below.

The Utility’s ability to efficiently construct, maintain, operate, protect, and decommission its facilities, and provide electricity and natural gas services safely and reliably is subject to numerous risks, some of which are beyond the Utility’s control, including those that arise from:

The occurrence of any of these events could interrupt fuel supplies, affect demand for electricity or natural gas, cause unplanned outages or reduce generating output, damage the Utility’s assets or operations, damage the assets or operations of third parties on which the Utility relies, damage property owned by customers or others, and cause personal injury or death. As a result, the Utility could incur costs to purchase replacement power, to repair assets and restore service, and to compensate third parties. Any such incidents also could lead to significant claims against the Utility.

Further, the Utility often enters into agreements for third-party contractors to perform work, such as patrolling and inspection of facilities, vegetation management, or the construction or demolition or facilities, and the Utility may have less control over contractors than its employees. The Utility may retain liability for the quality and completion of the contractor’s work and can be subject to penalties or other enforcement action if the contractor violates applicable laws, rules, regulations, or orders. The Utility may also be subject to liability, penalties or other enforcement action as a result of personal injury or death caused by third-party contractor actions or inactions.

Insurance, equipment warranties, or other contractual indemnification requirements may not be sufficient or effective to provide full or even partial recovery under all circumstances or against all hazards or liabilities to which the Utility may become subject. An uninsured loss could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

The electric power industry is undergoing transformative change driven by technological advancements enabling customer choice and state climate policy supporting a decarbonized economy. California utilities also are experiencing increasing deployment by customers and third parties of distributed energy resources, such as on-site solar generation, electric vehicles, electric heat pump space conditioning and water heating, battery electric storage, fuel cells, energy efficiency, and demand response technologies. These developments will require further modernization of the electric distribution grid to, among other things, accommodate increasing two-way flows of electricity and increase the grid’s capacity to interconnect these resources. In addition, enabling California’s clean energy transition will require sustained investments in grid modernization, renewable energy integration projects, energy efficiency programs, energy storage options, electric vehicle infrastructure, and state infrastructure modernization (e.g., rail and water projects). The Utility may be unable to effectively adapt to these potential business and regulatory changes, for instance by failing to meet customer demand for new business interconnections in a timely manner. The CPUC is also conducting proceedings to evaluate changes to the planning and operation of the electric distribution grid in order to prepare for higher penetration of distributed energy resources and consider future grid modernization and grid reinforcement investments; evaluate if traditional grid investments can be deferred by distributed energy resources, and if feasible, what, if any, compensation to utilities would be appropriate for enabling those investments; and clarify the role of the electric distribution grid operator. If the Utility is unable to effectively adapt to these potential business and regulatory changes its business model and its ability to execute on its strategy could be materially impacted.

These industry changes, costs associated with complying with new regulatory developments and initiatives and with technological advancements, or the Utility’s inability to successfully adapt to changes in the electric and gas industry, could materially affect the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

The Utility’s electricity and natural gas systems rely on a complex, interconnected network of generation, transmission, distribution, control, and communication technologies, which can be damaged by natural events-such as severe weather or seismic events and by malicious events, such as physical and cyber attacks. Nationally, there has been an increase in physical attacks on substations. Physical attacks targeting the Utility’s physical assets or personnel could cause damage, disrupt operations, or cause injuries. Cyber attacks targeting utility systems are significant and are continuing to increase in sophistication, magnitude, and frequency. Any failure, interruption, or decrease in the functionality of the Utility’s operational networks could cause harm to the public or employees, significantly disrupt operations, negatively impact the Utility’s ability to safely generate, transport, deliver and store energy and gas or otherwise operate in a safe and efficient manner or at all, and damage the Utility’s assets or operations or those of third parties.

The Utility also relies on complex information technology systems that allow it to create, collect, use, disclose, store and otherwise process sensitive information, including the Utility’s financial information, customer energy usage and billing information, and personal information regarding customers, employees and their dependents, contractors, and other individuals, and portions of such sensitive information may be required to be encrypted by the Utility. In addition, the Utility is increasingly being required to disclose large amounts of data (including customer energy usage and personal information regarding customers) to support changes to California’s electricity market related to grid modernization and customer choice. The Utility often relies on third-party vendors to host, maintain, modify, and update its systems (including providing security updates), and to provide other services to the Utility or the Utility’s customers. These third-party vendors could cease to exist, fail to adopt and implement adequate processes to protect the Utility’s systems and information, fail to provide timely software updates (and even if timely provided, there could be a delay in the installation of the updates), fail to detect security vulnerabilities, or experience security incidents or inadequate security measures. Any such incidents or disruptions in the Utility’s information technology systems could impact the Utility’s ability to track or collect revenues and to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility face various cybersecurity threats, including attempts to gain unauthorized access to their systems and networks, denial-of-service attacks, threats to their information technology infrastructure, ransomware and phishing attacks, and attempts to gain unauthorized access to confidential or sensitive information about the Utility, customers and employees. These threats come from a variety of highly organized actors, including nation-state actors. PG&E Corporation, the Utility and their third-party vendors have been subject to, and will likely continue to be subject to, threats, breaches and attempts to gain unauthorized access to the Utility’s information technology systems or confidential or sensitive data (including information about customers and employees), or to disrupt the Utility’s operations. The Utility may not be able to prevent unauthorized access to its operational networks, information technology systems or data, or the disruption of its operations. Such events could subject the Utility to significant expenses, claims by customers or third parties, government inquiries, penalties for violation of applicable privacy laws, investigations, lawsuits, and regulatory actions and could result in material fines, penalties, loss of customers, and harm to PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s reputation, any of which could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s business strategy, financial condition, or results of operations. For more information, see Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

The Utility maintains cyber liability insurance that covers certain losses and damages caused by cyber incidents, but adequate insurance may not continue to be available at rates the Utility believes are reasonable, or the costs of responding to and recovering from a cyber incident may not be covered by insurance or recoverable through rates.

The operation of the Utility’s nuclear generation facilities exposes it to potentially significant liabilities from environmental, health, and financial risks, such as risks relating to operation of the Diablo Canyon nuclear generation units as well as the storage, handling, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel, and the release of radioactive materials caused by a nuclear accident, seismic activity, natural disaster, or terrorist act. If the Utility incurs losses that are either not covered by insurance or exceed the amount of insurance coverage available, such losses could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows. In addition, the Utility may be required under federal law to pay up to $275 million of liabilities arising out of each nuclear incident occurring not only at the Utility’s Diablo Canyon facility but at any other nuclear power plant in the United States.

The Utility continues to face public concern about the safety of nuclear generation and nuclear fuel. Some of these nuclear opposition groups regularly file petitions at the NRC and in other forums challenging the actions of the NRC and urging governmental entities to adopt laws or policies in opposition to nuclear power. Even if an action in opposition ultimately fails, regulatory proceedings may take longer to conclude and be more costly to complete. It is also possible that public pressure could grow leading to adverse changes in legislation, regulations, orders, or their interpretation. As a result, operations at the Utility’s two nuclear generation units at Diablo Canyon could cease before their respective current licenses expire in 2024 and 2025 or prior to the expiration of any renewed license and extended operations period. In such an instance, the Utility could be required to record a charge for the remaining amount of its unrecovered investment and such charge could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

In addition, in order to retain highly skilled personnel necessary to safely operate Diablo Canyon during the remaining years of operations, the Utility will incur costs in connection with (i) an employee retention program to ensure adequate staffing levels at Diablo Canyon, and (ii) an employee retraining and development program, to facilitate redeployment of a portion of Diablo Canyon personnel to the decommissioning project and elsewhere in the Utility. The Utility may not be successful in retaining highly skilled personnel under its employee programs.

The Utility is pursuing the extension of operations at Diablo Canyon through no later than 2030. If Diablo Canyon enters extended operations, the Utility will face operational challenges resulting from a shortened planning period. For instance, the Utility may be unable to procure an adequate supply of nuclear fuel. For more information, see “Extension of Diablo Canyon Operations” under “Other Regulatory Proceedings” in Item 7. MD&A.

The Utility has incurred, and may continue to incur, substantial costs to comply with NRC regulations and orders. See “Regulatory Environment” in Item 1. Business above. If the Utility were unable to recover these costs, PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows could be materially affected. The Utility may determine that it cannot comply with the new regulations or orders in a feasible and economic manner and voluntarily cease operations; alternatively, the NRC may order the Utility to cease operations until the Utility can comply with new regulations, orders, or decisions. The Utility may incur a material charge if it ceases operations at Diablo Canyon’s two nuclear generation units before their respective current licenses expire in 2024 and 2025. As of December 31, 2023, the Utility’s unrecovered investment in Diablo Canyon was $595 million.

The Utility also has an obligation to decommission its electricity generation facilities, including its nuclear facilities, as well as gas transmission system assets, at the end of their useful lives. See “Asset Retirement Obligations” in Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statement in Item 8. The Utility’s costs to decommission its nuclear facilities through nuclear decommissioning are subject to reasonableness review by the CPUC. The Utility will be responsible for any costs that the CPUC determines were not reasonably incurred, which could materially affect PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

The Utility’s workforce is aging, and many employees are or will become eligible to retire within the next few years. The Utility’s efforts to recruit and train new field service personnel may be ineffective, and the Utility may be faced with a shortage of experienced and qualified personnel in certain specialty operational positions. Additionally, the Utility could experience workforce disruptions from personnel in those positions as a result of labor activity, the COVID-19 pandemic or other pandemics, or governmental regulation of pandemic protections. If the Utility were to experience such a shortage or disruptions, work stoppages could occur.

Any such occurrences could materially affect PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

Extreme weather, drought and shifting climate patterns have intensified the challenges associated with many of the other risks facing PG&E Corporation and the Utility, particularly wildfire management in California. The Utility’s service area encompasses some of the most densely forested areas in California and, as a consequence, is subject to higher risk from vegetation-related ignition events than other California IOUs. Further, environmental extremes, such as drought conditions and extreme heat followed by periods of wet weather, can drive additional vegetation growth (which can then fuel fires) and influence both the likelihood and severity of extraordinary wildfire events. In particular, the risk posed by wildfires, including during the recent wildfire seasons, has increased in the Utility’s service area as a result of an ongoing extended period of drought, bark beetle infestations in the California forest, and wildfire fuel increases due to rising temperatures and record rainfall following the drought, and strong wind events, among other environmental factors. Precipitation patterns in California vary significantly from year to year, often leading to periods of severe to extreme drought. Drought conditions often occur and can persist in nearly all of the Utility’s service area depending on the amount of precipitation received in the current or previous water years. More than half of the Utility’s service area is in an HFTD. Contributing factors other than environmental can include local land use policies and historical forestry management practices. The combined effects of extreme weather and climate change also impact this risk. In January 2018, the CPUC approved a statewide fire-threat map that shows that approximately half of the Utility’s service area is facing “elevated” or “extreme” fire danger. Approximately 25,000 circuit miles of the Utility’s nearly 80,000 distribution overhead circuit miles and approximately 5,500 miles of the nearly 18,000 transmission overhead circuit miles are in such HFTDs, significantly more in total than other California IOUs.

Severe weather events and other natural disasters, including wildfires and other fires, storms, tornadoes, floods, extreme heat events, drought, earthquakes, lightning, tsunamis, rising sea levels, pandemics, solar events, electromagnetic events, wind events or other weather-related conditions, climate change, or natural disasters, could result in severe business or operational disruptions, prolonged power outages, property damage, injuries and loss of life, significant decreases in revenues and earnings, and significant additional costs to PG&E Corporation and the Utility. Any such event could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows. Any such event also could lead to significant claims against the Utility. Further, these events could result in regulatory penalties and disallowances, particularly if the Utility encounters difficulties in restoring power to its customers on a timely basis or if the related losses are found to be the result of the Utility’s practices or the failure of electric and other equipment of the Utility.

Further, the Utility has been studying the potential effects of climate change (increased severity and frequency of storm events, sea level rise, land subsidence, change in temperature extremes, changes in precipitation patterns and drought, and wildfire) on its assets, operations, and services, and the Utility is developing adaptation plans to set forth a strategy for those events and conditions that the Utility believes are most significant. Consequences of these climate-driven events may vary widely and could include increased stress on the energy supply network due to new patterns of demand, reduced hydroelectric output, physical damage to the Utility’s infrastructure, higher operational costs, and an increase in the number and duration of customer outages and safety consequences for both employees and customers. As a result, the Utility’s hydroelectric generation could change, and the Utility would need to consider managing or acquiring additional generation. If the Utility increases its reliance on conventional generation resources to replace hydroelectric generation and to meet increased customer demand, it may become more costly for the Utility to comply with GHG emissions limits. In addition, climate hazards such as heatwaves, windstorms, and flooding caused by rising sea levels and extreme storms could damage the Utility’s facilities, including gas, generation, and electric transmission and distribution assets. The Utility could incur substantial costs to repair or replace facilities, restore service, or compensate customers and other third parties for damages or injuries, or regulators could order the Utility to perform additional work. The Utility anticipates that the increased costs would generally be recovered through rates, but as rate pressures increase, the likelihood of disallowance or non-recovery may increase. See “Concerns about high rates for the Utility’s customers could negatively impact PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows” below.

Events or conditions caused by climate change could have a material impact on the Utility’s operations and could result in lower revenues or increased expenses, or both. If the CPUC fails to adjust the Utility’s rates to reflect the impact of events or conditions caused by climate change, PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows could be materially affected.

The Utility has been in the past, and may be in the future, required to pay for environmental remediation costs at sites where it is or may be identified as a potentially responsible party under federal and state environmental laws. These costs can be difficult to estimate due to uncertainties about the extent of contamination, emerging contaminants, remediation alternatives, the applicable remediation levels, and the financial ability of other potentially responsible parties, and the Utility’s recorded liabilities for known environmental obligations may not accurately estimate its losses. For more information, see Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Environmental remediation costs could increase in the future as a result of new legislation or regulation, the current trend toward more stringent standards, or stricter and more expansive application of existing environmental regulations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations, or failure to comply with the terms of licenses or permits issued by environmental or regulatory agencies, could expose the Utility to claims by third parties or the imposition of civil or criminal fines or other sanctions.

The CPUC has authorized the Utility to recover its environmental remediation costs for certain sites through various ratemaking mechanisms. One of these mechanisms allows the Utility rate recovery for 90% of its hazardous substance remediation costs for certain approved sites without a reasonableness review. The CPUC may discontinue or change these ratemaking mechanisms in the future, or the Utility may incur environmental costs that exceed amounts the CPUC has authorized the Utility to recover through rates.

Some of the Utility’s environmental costs, such as the remediation costs associated with the Hinkley natural gas compressor site, are not recoverable through rates or insurance. See “Environmental Regulation” in Item 1 and Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. The Utility’s costs to remediate groundwater contamination near the Hinkley natural gas compressor site and to abate the effects of the contamination, changes in estimated costs, and the extent to which actual remediation costs differ from recorded liabilities have had, and may continue to have, a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

The EOEP is a six-step process with potentially escalating CPUC oversight and enforcement measures based on specific “triggering events” identified for each of the six steps. If the Utility is placed into the EOEP, it will be subject to additional reporting requirements and additional monitoring and oversight by the CPUC. Higher steps of the process (steps 3 through 6) also contemplate additional enforcement mechanisms, including appointment of an independent third-party monitor, appointment of a chief restructuring officer, pursuit of the receivership remedy, and review of the Utility’s Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (i.e., its license to operate as a utility). The process contains provisions for the Utility to cure and exit the process if it can satisfy specific criteria. The EOEP states that the Utility should presumptively move through the steps of the process sequentially, but the CPUC may place the Utility into the appropriate step of the process upon occurrence of a specified triggering event.

The Utility and its operations are subject to extensive federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and orders. The Utility incurs significant capital, operating, and other costs associated with compliance with these rules. These rules could change, which could change the Utility’s compliance obligations and the costs to comply with these rules. Non-compliance with these rules could result in the imposition of material fines on PG&E Corporation and the Utility, other regulatory exposure, significant litigation, and reputational harm, which could materially affect PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows could be materially affected if the Wildfire Fund does not effectively mitigate the financial risk of liability for damages arising from catastrophic wildfires where the Utility’s facilities are a substantial cause. See “The Wildfire Fund and other provisions of AB 1054 may not effectively mitigate the risk of liability for damages arising from catastrophic wildfires.” above.

In June 2018, the State of California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (the “CCPA”), which went into effect on January 1, 2020, with a 12-month look-back period requiring compliance by January 1, 2019. The CCPA requires companies that process information on California residents to make new disclosures to consumers about their data collection, use and sharing practices, allows consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties and provides a new cause of action for data breaches. The CCPA provides for financial penalties in the event of non-compliance and statutory damages in the event of a data security breach. On November 3, 2020, Californians voted to approve Proposition 24, a ballot measure that created the California Privacy Rights Act (the “CPRA”), which amended and expanded the CCPA. The State of California enacted the CPRA in November 2020, with most provisions operative as of January 1, 2023 and applicable to personal information collected beginning January 1, 2022. Final CPRA regulations are in development. Failure to comply with the CCPA and the CPRA could result in litigation, audits, and the imposition of material fines on PG&E Corporation and the Utility.

Additionally, PG&E Corporation and the Utility collect and retain certain personal information of their customers, shareholders, and employees in connection with their business. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s risk management and information security measures may be ineffective, and the personal information that they collect, as well as other commercially-sensitive data that they possess, could become compromised because of certain events, including a cyber incident, the insufficiency or failure of such measures, human error, the misappropriation of data, or the occurrence of any of the foregoing at any third party with which PG&E Corporation or the Utility has shared information. If any of these events were to transpire, it could subject PG&E Corporation and the Utility to financial liability.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility are subject to federal and state privacy laws, which grant consumers rights and protections, including, among other things, the ability to opt out of receiving certain communications and certain data sharing with third parties.

The environmental rules to which the Utility’s operations are subject relate to air quality, water quality and usage, remediation of hazardous substances, and the protection and conservation of natural resources and wildlife.

Also, SB 100 (the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018) increased the percentage from 50% to 60% of California’s electricity portfolio that must come from renewables by 2030; and established state policy that 100% of all retail electricity sales must come from renewable portfolio standard-eligible or carbon-free resources by 2045. Failure to comply with SB 100 could result in fines imposed on PG&E Corporation and the Utility that could be material.

The Utility develops its capital plans based on forecasts, including those around load growth, gas system planning, and transportation electrification, which assume that California continues to pursue consistent environmental policies. If the federal government withdraws its support for grid modernization or prohibits California from pursuing its environmental policies, or if California changes its policies, PG&E Corporation and the Utility may be unable to meet their environmental and financial goals.

The Utility is subject to extensive regulations, including federal, state, and local energy, environmental and other laws and regulations, and the risk of enforcement proceedings in connection with compliance with such regulations. The Utility could incur material charges, including fines and other penalties, in connection with matters that the CPUC’s SED may investigate. The SED can launch investigations at any time on any issue it deems appropriate. In addition, the OEIS has authority to approve and oversee compliance with the WMP and may determine that the Utility has failed to substantially comply with its WMP.

The Utility could be subject to additional regulatory or governmental enforcement action in the future with respect to compliance with federal, state, or local laws, regulations or orders that could result in additional fines, penalties or customer refunds, including those regarding renewable energy and RA requirements; customer billing; customer service; affiliate transactions; vegetation management; design, construction, operating and maintenance practices; safety and inspection practices; compliance with CPUC GOs or other applicable CPUC decisions or regulations; whether the Utility is able to achieve the targets in its WMPs; federal electric reliability standards; and environmental compliance. CPUC staff could also impose penalties on the Utility in the future in accordance with its authority under the gas and electric safety citation programs. The amount of such fines, penalties, or customer refunds depends on a variety of factors and could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

The Utility also is a target of a number of investigations, in addition to certain investigations in connection with the wildfires. See “Risks Related to Wildfires” above. The Utility is unable to predict the outcome of pending investigations, including whether any charges will be brought against the Utility, or the amount of any costs and expenses associated with such investigations.

If these investigations result in enforcement action against the Utility, the Utility could incur additional fines or penalties, the amount of which could be substantial, and, in the event of a judgment against the Utility, suffer further ongoing negative consequences. Furthermore, a negative outcome in any of these investigations, or future enforcement actions, could negatively affect the outcome of future ratemaking and regulatory proceedings to which the Utility may be subject; for example, by enabling parties to challenge the Utility’s request to recover costs that the parties allege are somehow related to the Utility’s violations.

The Utility’s financial results depend on its ability to earn a reasonable return on capital, including long-term debt and equity, and to recover costs from its customers, through the rates it charges its customers as approved by the CPUC and the FERC. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows could be materially affected if the CPUC or the FERC does not authorize sufficient revenues for the Utility or if the amount of actual costs incurred differs from the forecast or authorized costs embedded in rates. The outcome of the Utility’s ratemaking proceedings can be affected by many factors, including the level of opposition by intervening parties; potential rate impacts; increasing levels of regulatory review; changes in the political, regulatory, or legislative environments; and the opinions of the Utility’s regulators, consumer and other stakeholder organizations, and customers, about the Utility’s ability to provide safe, reliable, and affordable electric and gas services. If the CPUC does not authorize sufficient funding for investments in the Utility’s infrastructure, it may negatively impact the Utility’s ability to modernize the grid and make it resilient to risks related to climate change, including wildfires.

In addition to the amount of authorized revenues, PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows could be materially affected if the Utility’s actual costs differ from authorized or forecast costs. The Utility’s ability to recover its costs and earn a reasonable rate of return can be affected by many factors, including the time delay between when costs are incurred and when those costs are recovered through rates. The CPUC or the FERC may not allow the Utility to recover costs on the basis that such costs were not reasonably or prudently incurred or for other reasons. Further, the Utility may be required to incur expenses before the relevant regulatory agency approves the recovery of such costs. For example, the Utility has incurred, and continues to incur, costs to strengthen its wildfire mitigation and prevention efforts before it is clear whether such costs will be recoverable through rates. Also, the CPUC may deny recovery of uninsured wildfire-related costs incurred by the Utility if the CPUC determines that the Utility was not prudent.

The Utility may incur additional costs or receive reduced revenue without cost recovery for many reasons including changing market circumstances, unanticipated events (such as wildfires, storms, earthquakes, accidents, or catastrophic or other events affecting the Utility’s operations), whether the CAISO wholesale electricity market continues to function effectively, or compliance with new state laws or policies. See “Trends in Market Demand and Competitive Conditions in the Electricity Industry” in Item 1.

Jurisdictions may attempt to acquire the Utility’s assets through eminent domain (“municipalization”). In particular, the City and County of San Francisco (“San Francisco”) has submitted a petition with the CPUC seeking a valuation of the Utility’s electric assets in San Francisco and has expressed intent to acquire such assets. San Francisco would still need to, among other things, initiate and prevail in an eminent domain action in state court to acquire the Utility’s assets, but the Utility may not be successful in defending against such an action or related regulatory proceeding. If municipalization proceedings are permitted to move forward and are successful, the Utility would be entitled to receive the fair market value of the assets that are subject to the takeover effort, as well as associated severance damages, but valuation issues in any municipalization proceeding would be highly contentious and could result in the Utility receiving less than what it believes is just compensation for the applicable assets. Any assets acquired by a third party through eminent domain would be excluded from the Utility’s rate base, reducing the Utility’s revenues and opportunity to earn a return on such assets. In addition, third parties may attempt to bypass the Utility’s existing electric infrastructure system to provide retail electric service to discrete geographic areas or specific customers. Utility assets that are targeted for municipalization, as well as existing or potential future Utility customers targeted for electric services by third parties that bypass the Utility’s facilities, generally are located in geographic areas that have a lower cost of service relative to billed revenues, so municipalization (or bypass) could negatively impact the affordability of the Utility’s service for remaining Utility customers served outside of those geographic areas. A successful municipalization or bypass attempt could also encourage similar attempts by other municipalities or third parties which, if successful, would further divide the Utility’s assets and reduce the Utility’s rate base, profitability, and affordability for remaining Utility customers. It is also unclear how the CPUC would allocate the compensation received by the Utility for any involuntary sale of its assets between shareholders and customers. As a result of these factors, municipalization or electric bypass could materially affect the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flow.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility have a substantial amount of indebtedness, most of which is secured by liens on certain assets of PG&E Corporation and the Utility. As of December 31, 2023, PG&E Corporation had approximately $4.65 billion of outstanding indebtedness (such indebtedness consisting of PG&E Corporation’s $2.15 billion aggregate principal amount of convertible senior secured notes due 2027, $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2028, $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2030, and $500 million of borrowings under the secured term loan agreement entered into in June 2020), and the Utility had approximately $48.0 billion of outstanding indebtedness. In addition, PG&E Corporation had $500 million of additional borrowing capacity under the Corporation Revolving Credit Agreement, and the Utility had $2.0 billion of additional borrowing capacity under the Utility Revolving Credit Agreement. In addition, the Utility had outstanding preferred stock with an aggregate liquidation preference of $252 million.

Since PG&E Corporation and the Utility have a high level of debt, a substantial portion of cash flow from operations will be used to make payments on this debt. Furthermore, since a significant percentage of the Utility’s assets are used to secure its debt, this reduces the amount of collateral available for future secured debt or credit support and reduces its flexibility in operating these secured assets or using them for other financing transactions. This relatively high level of debt and related security could have other important consequences for PG&E Corporation and the Utility, including:

Under the terms of the agreements and indentures governing their respective indebtedness, PG&E Corporation and the Utility are permitted to incur additional indebtedness, some of which could be secured (subject to compliance with certain tests) and which could further accentuate these risks. As a result of the high level of indebtedness, PG&E Corporation and the Utility may be unable to generate sufficient cash through operations to service such debt, and may need to refinance such indebtedness at or prior to maturity and be unable to obtain financing on suitable terms or at all. As a capital-intensive company, the Utility relies on access to the capital markets, particularly investment grade capital markets. If the Utility were unable to access the capital markets or the cost of financing were to substantially increase, its financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows could be materially affected. Although the Utility is generally entitled to seek recovery of its cost of capital, because such requests are subject to CPUC review, the Utility may not successfully recover its cost of capital. Even when cost recovery is granted, the timing of such recovery will generally not occur until after the costs are required to be paid. The Utility’s ability to obtain financing, as well as its ability to refinance debt and make scheduled payments of principal and interest, are dependent on numerous factors, including the Utility’s levels of indebtedness, maintenance of acceptable credit ratings, financial performance, liquidity and cash flow, and other market conditions. The Utility’s inability to service its substantial debt or access the financial markets on reasonable terms could have a material effect on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s material financing agreements, including certain of their respective credit agreements and indentures, contain various covenants restricting, among other things, their ability to:

The restrictions contained in these material financing agreements could affect PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s ability to operate their business and may limit their ability to react to market conditions or take advantage of potential business opportunities as they arise. For example, such restrictions could adversely affect PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s ability to finance their operations and expenditures, make strategic acquisitions, investments, or alliances, sell assets, restructure their organization, or finance their capital needs. Additionally, PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s ability to comply with these covenants and restrictions may be affected by events beyond their control, including prevailing regulatory, economic, financial and industry conditions.

On the Emergence Date, PG&E Corporation issued to the Fire Victim Trust a number of shares of common stock equal to 22.19% of the outstanding common stock on such date. As further described in “Wildfire-Related Securities Claims—Claims in the Bankruptcy Court Process” in Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, PG&E Corporation may be required to issue shares of its common stock in satisfaction of allowed HoldCo Rescission or Damage Claims. If such issuance is required, it may be determined that, under the Plan, the Fire Victim Trust should receive additional shares of PG&E Corporation common stock such that it would have owned 22.19% of the outstanding common stock of reorganized PG&E Corporation on the Emergence Date, assuming that such issuance of shares in satisfaction of the HoldCo Rescission or Damage Claims had occurred on the Emergence Date. Any such issuances will result in dilution to anyone who holds shares of PG&E Corporation common stock prior to such issuance and may cause the trading price of PG&E Corporation shares to decline.

PG&E Corporation has incurred and may also incur in the future significant net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes, the amount and availability of which are subject to certain qualifications, limitations and uncertainties. The Amended Articles (as defined below) impose certain restrictions on the transferability and ownership of PG&E Corporation common stock and preferred stock (together, the “capital stock”) and other interests designated as “stock” of PG&E Corporation by the Board of Directors as disclosed in an SEC filing (such stock and other interests, the “Equity Securities,” and such restrictions on transferability and ownership, the “Ownership Restrictions”) in order to reduce the possibility of an equity ownership shift that could result in limitations on PG&E Corporation’s ability to utilize net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes from prior taxable years or periods for federal income tax purposes. Any acquisition of PG&E Corporation capital stock that results in a shareholder being in violation of these restrictions may not be valid.

Subject to certain exceptions, the Ownership Restrictions restrict (i) any person or entity (including certain groups of persons) from directly or indirectly acquiring or accumulating 4.75% or more of the outstanding Equity Securities and (ii) the ability of any person or entity (including certain groups of persons) already owning, directly or indirectly, 4.75% or more of the Equity Securities to increase their proportionate interest in the Equity Securities. Additionally, the application of the Ownership Restrictions, as defined in PG&E Corporation’s Amended Articles of Incorporation, will be determined on the basis of a number of shares outstanding that differs materially from the number of shares reported as outstanding on the cover page of its periodic reports under the Exchange Act because it excludes shares owned by the Utility. See “Tax Matters” in Item 7. MD&A for an example of these calculations. Any transferee receiving Equity Securities that would result in a violation of the Ownership Restrictions will not be recognized as a shareholder of PG&E Corporation or entitled to any rights of shareholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote and to receive dividends or distributions, whether liquidating or otherwise, in each case, with respect to the Equity Securities causing the violation.

The Ownership Restrictions remain in effect until the earliest of (i) the repeal, amendment, or modification of Section 382 (and any comparable successor provision) of the IRC, in a manner that renders the restrictions imposed by Section 382 of the IRC no longer applicable to PG&E Corporation, (ii) the beginning of a taxable year in which the Board of Directors of PG&E Corporation determines that no tax benefits attributable to net operating losses or other tax attributes are available, (iii) the date selected by the Board of Directors if it determines that the limitation amount imposed by Section 382 of the IRC as of such date in the event of an “ownership change” of PG&E Corporation (as defined in Section 382 of the IRC and Treasury Regulation Sections 1.1502-91 et seq.) would not be materially less than the net operating loss carryforwards or “net unrealized built-in loss” (within the meaning of Section 382 of the IRC and Treasury Regulation Sections 1.1502-91 et seq.) of PG&E Corporation, and (iv) the date selected by the Board of Directors if it determines that it is in the best interests of PG&E Corporation’s shareholders for the Ownership Restrictions to be removed or released. The Ownership Restrictions may also be waived by the Board of Directors on a case by case basis.

As of December 31, 2023, PG&E Corporation had net operating loss carryforwards for PG&E Corporation’s consolidated group for U.S. federal and California income tax purposes of approximately $32.9 billion and $32.6 billion, respectively, and PG&E Corporation incurred and may also continue to incur significant net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes. The ability of PG&E Corporation to use some or all of these net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be subject to certain limitations. Under Section 382 of the IRC (which also applies for California state income tax purposes), if a corporation (or a consolidated group) undergoes an “ownership change,” such net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes may be subject to certain limitations. In general, an ownership change occurs if the aggregate stock ownership of certain shareholders (generally five percent shareholders, applying certain look-through and aggregation rules) increases by more than 50% over such shareholders’ lowest percentage ownership during the testing period (generally three years).

As of the date of this report, it is more likely than not that PG&E Corporation has not undergone an ownership change and its net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes are not limited by Section 382 of the IRC. However, whether PG&E Corporation underwent an ownership change as a result of the transactions in PG&E Corporation’s equity that occurred pursuant to the Plan or in combination with other changes in the ownership of PG&E Corporation’s equity depends on several factors outside PG&E Corporation’s control and the application of certain laws that are uncertain in several respects. Accordingly, the IRS may successfully assert that PG&E Corporation has undergone an ownership change pursuant to the Plan. If the IRS successfully asserts that PG&E Corporation did undergo, or PG&E Corporation otherwise does undergo, an ownership change, the limitation on its net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes under Section 382 of the IRC could be material to PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

In particular, limitations imposed on PG&E Corporation’s ability to utilize net operating loss carryforwards or other tax attributes could cause U.S. federal and California income taxes to be paid earlier than would be paid if such limitations were not in effect and could cause such net operating loss carryforwards or other tax attributes to expire unused, in each case reducing or eliminating the benefit of such net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes. Further, PG&E Corporation’s ability to utilize its net operating loss carryforwards is critical to PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s commitment to make certain operating and capital expenditures. Failure to obtain alternative sources of capital could have a material adverse effect on PG&E Corporation and the Utility and the value of PG&E Corporation common stock.

PG&E Corporation conducts its operations primarily through its subsidiary, the Utility, and substantially all of PG&E Corporation’s consolidated assets are held by the Utility. Accordingly, PG&E Corporation’s cash flow and its ability to meet its debt service obligations under its existing and future indebtedness are largely dependent upon the earnings and cash flows of the Utility and the distribution or other payment of these earnings and cash flows to PG&E Corporation in the form of dividends or loans or advances and repayment of loans and advances from the Utility. The ability of the Utility to pay dividends or make other advances, distributions, and transfers of funds will depend on its results of operations and may be restricted by, among other things, applicable laws limiting the amount of funds available for payment of dividends and certain restrictive covenants contained in the agreements of those subsidiaries. Additionally, the Utility must use its resources to satisfy its own obligations, including its obligation to serve customers, to pay principal and interest on outstanding debt, to pay preferred stock dividends, and to meet its obligations to employees and creditors, before it can distribute cash to PG&E Corporation. In addition, the CPUC has imposed various conditions that govern the relationship between PG&E Corporation and the Utility, including financial conditions that require the Board of Directors to give first priority to the capital requirements of the Utility, as determined to be necessary and prudent to meet the Utility’s obligation to serve or to operate the Utility in a prudent and efficient manner. The deterioration of income from, or other available assets of, the Utility for any reason could limit or impair the Utility’s ability to pay dividends or other distributions to PG&E Corporation, which could, in turn, materially and adversely affect PG&E Corporation’s ability to meet its obligations.

The Amended Articles and the Amended Bylaws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of PG&E Corporation more difficult without the approval of the Board of Directors, including the following:

These and other provisions in the Amended Articles, the Amended Bylaws, and California law could make it more difficult for shareholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of the Board of Directors or initiate actions that are opposed by the then-current Board of Directors, including delaying or impeding merger, tender offer, or proxy contest involving PG&E Corporation. The existence of these provisions could negatively affect the price of PG&E Corporation common stock and limit opportunities for shareholders to realize value in a corporate transaction.

The Utility has set a goal to increase its capital investments to meet safety and climate goals, while also achieving operating cost savings. The Utility’s ability to achieve such savings depends, in part, on whether the Utility can improve the planning and execution of its work by continuing to implement the Lean operating system. Even if the Utility is able to reduce some costs, other emerging priorities, such as emergency response, public purpose programs, wildfire mitigation initiatives, or California’s clean energy transition, could require it to reinvest those savings.

The rates paid by the Utility’s customers are impacted by the Utility’s costs, commodity prices, and broader energy trends. The Utility’s capital investment plan, increasing procurement of renewable power and energy storage, increasing environmental regulations, leveling demand, and the cumulative impact of other public policy requirements, collectively place continuing upward pressure on customers’ rates. In particular, the Utility will need to make substantial, sustained investments to its infrastructure to adapt to climate change, enable the clean energy transition, and mitigate wildfire risk. For more information on factors that could cause the Utility’s costs to increase, see “The Utility’s ratemaking and cost recovery proceedings may not authorize sufficient revenues, or the Utility’s actual costs could exceed its authorized or forecasted costs due to various factors” above. The CPUC considers affordability as it adjudicates the Utility’s rate cases, and concerns about affordability could cause the CPUC to approve lesser amounts in the Utility’s ratemaking or cost recovery proceedings.

The Utility generally recovers its electricity and natural gas procurement costs through rates as “pass-through” costs. Increases in the Utility’s commodity costs directly impact customer bills.

Increasing levels of self-generation of electricity by customers (primarily solar installations) and customer enrollment in NEM and NBT, which allows self-generating customers to receive bill credits for power exported to the grid, shifts costs to other customers. Under this structure, NEM and NBT customers do not pay their proportionate share of the cost of maintaining and operating the electric transmission and distribution system, including costs associated with funding social equity programs, subject to certain exceptions, while still receiving electricity from the system when their self-generation is inadequate to meet their electricity needs. These unpaid costs are subsidized by customers not participating in NEM or NBT. Accordingly, as more electric customers switch to the NBT and self-generate energy, the burden on the remaining customers increases, which in turn encourages more self-generation, further increasing rate pressure on existing non-NEM or non-NBT customers.

Other long-term trends could also increase costs for gas customers. Natural gas suppliers are subject to compliance with CARB’s cap-and-trade program, and natural gas end-use customers have an increasing exposure to carbon costs under the program through 2030 (when the full cost will be reflected in customer bills). Increased renewable portfolio standards in the electric sector could also reduce electric generation gas load. CARB may also require aggressive energy efficiency programs to reduce natural gas end use consumption. Additionally, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has adopted rules that restrict the sale of gas space and water heating appliances, and the CARB is considering similar rules. If other jurisdictions also adopt similar rules, reduced gas demand could accelerate customers replacing natural gas appliances with electric appliances. The combination of reduced load and increased costs to maintain the gas system could result in higher natural gas customer bills. In addition, some local city governments have passed ordinances restricting use of natural gas in new construction and, if other jurisdictions follow suit, this could affect future demand for the provision of natural gas. If fewer customers receive gas from the Utility, the Utility’s gas system maintenance costs, many of which cannot be reduced in the short term even if gas quantities decrease, would be borne by fewer customers. Finally, a mandate to purchase renewable natural gas for core customers could lead to increased costs for core customers if utilities are competing with the transportation sector for supplies of renewable natural gas.

A confluence of technology-related cost declines, along with sustained or increased federal or state subsidies, could make a combination of distributed generation and energy storage a viable, cost-effective alternative to the Utility’s bundled electric service which could further reduce energy demand. Reduced energy demand or significantly slowed growth in demand due to customer migration to other energy providers, adoption of energy efficient technology, conservation, increasing levels of distributed generation and self-generation, unless substantially offset through regulatory cost allocations, could increase the energy rates for other customers.

If rates were to rise too rapidly, customer usage or the number of customers could decline. A decrease in the volume of sales, among which the Utility’s costs are allocated, could further increase rates.

To relieve some of this upward rate pressure, the CPUC may authorize lower revenues than the Utility requested or increase the period over which the Utility is allowed to recover amounts, which could impact the Utility’s ability to timely recover its operating costs. The Utility’s level of authorized capital investment could decline as well, leading to fewer new business interconnections and a slower growth in rate base and earnings. As a result, PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows could be materially affected.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility have observed that prices for equipment, materials, supplies, employee labor, contractor services, and variable-rate debt have increased and may continue to increase more quickly than expected as a result of inflation. Additionally, the Utility has experienced shortages in certain items, longer lead times, and delivery delays as a result of domestic and international raw material and labor shortages. If these disruptions to the supply chain persist or worsen, the Utility may be delayed or prevented from completing planned maintenance and capital projects work. PG&E Corporation and the Utility may be unable to secure these resources on economically acceptable terms or offset such costs with increased revenues, operating efficiencies, or cost savings, which may adversely affect PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

None.

The objective of PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s cybersecurity program is to protect information assets and to mitigate against material cybersecurity threats, data and information compromise, and other risk events that could materially affect the business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition of PG&E Corporation and the Utility. PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s cybersecurity program’s strategy is to establish multiple layers of defense through logical and physical security controls so that if any particular control proves insufficient, other controls may capture and mitigate that risk, such as:

PG&E Corporation and the Utility have identified cybersecurity as a key enterprise risk, which they manage through their enterprise risk management system.

PG&E Corporation and the Utility have not experienced any cybersecurity incidents in the last three years that have materially affected the business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition of PG&E Corporation and the Utility. For more information regarding how cybersecurity threats could materially affect PG&E Corporation and the Utility, see “The Utility’s operational networks and information technology systems could be impacted by a cyber incident, cybersecurity breach, or physical attack.” in Item 1A. Risk Factors.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Boards of Directors, particularly their Safety and Nuclear Oversight Committees, have primary responsibility for overseeing cybersecurity risk management, including reviewing the companies’ cybersecurity policies, controls, and procedures. The Safety and Nuclear Oversight Committees participate in cybersecurity risk reviews to promote alignment in operations and asset management in the implementation of mitigation strategies designed to reduce the risk and impact of cybersecurity threats. In the event that the Safety and Nuclear Oversight Committees identify significant exposures, including with respect to cybersecurity, they communicate such exposure to the Boards of Directors to assess PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s risk identification, risk management, and mitigation strategies. Management provides briefings to the Safety and Nuclear Oversight Committees at least annually, as well as briefings on important cybersecurity incidents and threats as necessary and appropriate or as requested. These briefings include describing cybersecurity threats, defenses, mitigation strategies, and risk data analytics that may impact the companies’ significant assets.

The Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of PG&E Corporation and the Senior Vice President, Chief Security Officer, and Chief Data and Analytics Officer of the Utility have collectively over 50 years of prior work experience in various roles involving information technology and cybersecurity functions. They are responsible for assessing and managing cybersecurity risks in collaboration with the enterprise risk management team. Such persons are informed about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents through daily and weekly operating reviews conducted by management and personnel closest to the work as part of the Lean operating system and as otherwise appropriate.

The Utility owns or has obtained the right to occupy or use real property comprising the Utility’s electricity and natural gas distribution facilities, electric generation facilities, natural gas gathering facilities and generation facilities, and natural gas and electricity transmission facilities, which are described in Item 1. Business, under “Electric Utility Operations” and “Natural Gas Utility Operations.” The Utility occupies or uses real property primarily through various leases, easements, rights-of-way, permits, or licenses from private landowners or governmental authorities. In total, the Utility occupies 9 million square feet of real property, including 7 million square feet owned by the Utility. On September 17, 2021, the sale of the SFGO closed and the Utility entered into a leaseback agreement with the new SFGO owner (the “Leaseback Agreement”) to lease back certain space within the SFGO to allow for additional time to relocate critical facilities to other Utility sites. The Leaseback Agreement commenced on September 17, 2021, and the lease term was extended through June 30, 2024. On October 23, 2020, the Utility entered into an office lease agreement with BA2 300 Lakeside LLC for approximately 910,000 rentable square feet of space within the Lakeside Building to serve as the Utility’s principal administrative headquarters. The term of the lease began on April 8, 2022, and the lease grants the Utility an option to purchase the legal parcel that contains the Lakeside Building. On July 11, 2023, the Utility and the Landlord (as defined in Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.) entered into an Amendment to Office Lease and an Agreement of Purchase and Sale and Joint Escrow Instructions, pursuant to which the Utility was deemed to have exercised its option to purchase the Property, as modified. The Utility will continue to lease the Property pursuant to the Lease, as amended, until closing in June 2025. For more information, see Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

The Utility owns approximately 135,000 acres of land, including approximately 100,000 acres of watershed lands. In 2002, the Utility agreed to implement its LCC to permanently preserve the six “beneficial public values” on all the watershed lands through conservation easements or equivalent protections, as well as to make approximately 40,000 acres of the watershed lands available for donation to qualified organizations. The six “beneficial public values” being preserved by the LCC include: natural habitat of fish, wildlife, and plants; open space; outdoor recreation by the general public; sustainable forestry; agricultural uses; and historic values. The Utility’s goal is to implement all the LCC transactions by the first quarter of 2024, subject to securing all required regulatory approvals.

Not applicable.

The following individuals serve as executive officers of PG&E Corporation, as of February 21, 2024. Except as otherwise noted, all positions have been held at PG&E Corporation.