California Gas-Fired Power Drops 26% in First Half — SkimNews
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- California cut gas-fired electricity generation by 15% in 2025 and another 26% in the first half of this year, with gas usage falling in eight of the 11 years after peaking in 2014.
- California Independent System Operator recorded yearly-peak demand of 46,015 megawatts at 5:55 p.m. on August 26, while battery output rose sharply just after sunset.
- Natural gas peaker plants now run less often as solar and batteries cover peak demand, although the grid operator says gas still provides reliability benefits by remaining available.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration data shows California’s gas consumption for electricity fell from 10% of the U.S. total in 2014 to 4% in 2025.
- SunZia supplies wind power to California through a dedicated line under a firm contract and counts as a local resource despite being located in New Mexico.
- California customer-owned energy systems lead the nation in rooftop solar and battery adoption, reducing grid demand by an amount the source says is difficult to quantify.
- California rooftop solar policy has hurt the industry through net-metering rules even as state laws and incentives have pushed the broader electricity system away from gas.
Why it matters: California ratepayers have the most at stake: gas peaker plants are among the least efficient and most expensive, while battery output rose after sunset as demand hit 46,015 megawatts. The cited research does not establish whether consumers’ electricity prices fell.
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