(The Center Square) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom says new state data shows two-thirds of the state’s energy came from “clean” energy sources in 2023. Energy prices for the state’s three largest providers averaged 36.6 cents per kilowatt hour in the first quarter of 2025, or more than double the national average of 17.5 cents per kilowatt per hour.
“As the federal government turns its back on innovation and commonsense, California is making our clean energy future a reality,” said Newsom in a statement. “The world’s fourth largest economy is running on two-thirds clean power — the largest economy on the planet to achieve this milestone.”
California’s Republican legislators responded by pointing out the state’s high cost of energy.
“Gavin Newsom’s energy victory lap skips the key detail: Californians pay some of the highest electricity rates in America,” said the California Assembly Republican caucus in a statement. “He won’t even say ‘affordability’ because he can’t defend the cost.”
According to the Public Advocate’s Office at the California Public Utilities Commission, rates for the state’s three largest utilities — Pacific Gas and Electric, San Diego Gas and Electric, and Southern California Edison — have risen 121%, 88% and 80% since 2014, significantly outpacing inflation.
The PAO says energy bills are rising in the state due to a combination of “higher electricity use” and “higher electricity rates,” and found 2.3 million households, or nearly one in in five, are behind on their energy bills, owing an average of $788.
