California CCA membership surpasses 200 communities, 28% of utility load

S&P Global

Community Choice Aggregators have reached a new milestone in California, surpassing 200 cities and communities with service and about 28% of utility load, and the expansion is continuing with two more CCAs launching service this year.

The number of CCA jurisdictions reached 201 on April 1 as East Bay Community Energy initiated service to Newark, Pleasanton and Tracy, and MCE initiated service to Pleasant Hill and Vallejo.

“This latest bump in the number of communities served by CCAs is part of a wave of new service rollouts in 2021 that includes expansions by Central Coast Community Energy in January (cities of Arroyo Grande, Del Rey Oaks, Grover Beach, Guadalupe, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria, Solvang, and Unincorporated Santa Barbara County) and Valley Clean Energy (city of Winters), also in January,” CalCCA said in a news release.

“Over the last decade, local governments in cities and counties throughout the state have chosen to participate in CCA to meet climate action goals, provide residents and businesses with more energy options, ensure local transparency and accountability, and drive economic development and green jobs,” according to CalCCA.

There are 24 community choice energy providers serving more than 11 million customers in 201 towns, cities and counties across the state, with other communities planning to launch CCA programs.

Community choice energy programs now serve about 28% of the load in the territories of the state’s three main investor-owned utilities, which is projected to rise to 38% by 2022, according to Cal CCA.

CalCCA members are projected to have an annual load of 52,098 GWh in 2021, which is an 865% jump from 2016 levels and a 6.6% increase year on year, according to CalCCA data from December.

Read more here: California CCA membership surpasses 200 communities, 28% of utility load | S&P Global Platts