Energy Planning & Resources Committee
of the Clean Power Alliance of Southern California
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
12:15 p.m.
Visit CPA’s YouTube Channel to watch a Live Stream of the Meeting *There may be a streaming delay of up to 90 seconds. This is a view-only live stream.
Clean Power Alliance
Executive Conference Room
801 S. Grand Ave., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Members of the public may also participate in this meeting remotely at the following locations:
Manhattan Beach City Hall
City Manager Conference Room
1400 Highland Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Alhambra City Hall
Conference Room A
111 S. First Street
Alhambra, CA 91801
Carson City Hall
Executive Conference Room
701 East Carson Street
Carson, CA 90745
Temple City City Hall
City Hall Conference Room
9701 Las Tunas Drive
Temple City, CA 91780
Arcadia City Hall
Council Chambers Conference Room
240 W. Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91007
LA County Sanitation District
Conference Room A
1955 Workman Mill Road
Whittier, CA 90601
West Hollywood City Hall
3rd Floor Conference Room
8300 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
City of Oxnard Service Center 1
East Conference Room
214 South C Street
Oxnard, CA 93030
Sierra Madre City Hall
Council Chambers
232 W. Sierra Blvd.
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
PUBLIC COMMENT: Members of the public may submit their comments by one of the following options:
• Email Public Comment: Members of the public are encouraged to submit written comments on any agenda item to [email protected] up to four hours before the meeting. Written public comments will be announced at the meeting and become part of the meeting record. Public comments received in writing will not be read aloud at the meeting.
• Provide Public Comment During the Meeting: The General Public Comment item is reserved for persons wishing to address the Committee on any Clean Power Alliance-related matters not on today’s agenda.
Agenda Page 1
Public comments on matters on today’s Consent Agenda and Regular Agenda shall be heard at the time the matter is called. Comments on items on the Consent Agenda are consolidated into one public comment period.
Members of the public who wish to address the Committee at CPA’s Office are requested to complete a comment card and provide it to staff.
If you are attending from a remote location, please identify yourself to a CPA representative when your item is called. Each speaker is limited to two (2) minutes (in whole-minute increments) per agenda item with a cumulative total of five 5 minutes to be allocated between the General Public Comment, the entire Consent Agenda, or individual items in the Regular Agenda. Please refer to Policy No. 8 – Public Comment for additional information.
NAVIGATING OUR AGENDA PACKETS: The meeting agenda packets are bookmarked PDFs, which display a list of agenda items to the left of the page and allow you to click to view specific items within the packet. If viewing in your browser, click the "document outline" button in the upper left corner of the screen. If the PDF is downloaded, the bookmark panel (ribbon icon) appears on the left side of the screen.
ACCESSIBILITY: Meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals who need special assistance or a disability-related modification or accommodation to participate in this meeting, or who have a disability and wish to request an alternative format for the meeting materials, should contact the Clerk of the Board at least two (2) working days before the meeting at [email protected] or (213) 713-5995. Notification in advance of the meeting, while not required, will enable us to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting and the materials related to it.
CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Approve Minutes from the December 8, 2025, Energy Committee Meeting
2. Receive and File January 2026 Risk Management Team Report
REGULAR AGENDA
3. Oral Update from the Vice President of Power Supply
4. Receive Presentation on Carbon Capture Technologies
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
ADJOURN – NEXT MEETING MARCH 25, 2026
Public Records: Public records that relate to any item on the open session agenda for a Committee Meeting are available for public inspection. Those records that are distributed less than 72 hours prior to the meeting are available for public inspection at the same time they are distributed to all, or a majority of, the members of the Committee. Public records are available for inspection at CPA’s Office at 801 S. Grand Ave., Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90017, or online at www.cleanpoweralliance.org/agendas.
Agenda Page 2
Staff Report – Agenda Item 1
To: Energy Planning & Resources Committee
Subject: Approve Minutes from the December 8, 2025, Energy Committee Meeting
Date: February 25, 2026
RECOMMENDATION
Approve.
ATTACHMENT
1. Minutes
Agenda Page 3
MINUTES
Energy Planning & Resources Committee
of the Clean Power Alliance of Southern California
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, December 8, 2025, 3:00 p.m.
Meeting videos are available on CPA's YouTube Channel.
http://www.youtube.com/@CPApublicmeetings
Committee Members participated in this meeting from the following locations:
Manhattan Beach City Hall
City Manager Conference Room
1400 Highland Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Clean Power Alliance Office
Executive Conference Room
801 S. Grand Ave., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Alhambra City Hall
Conference Room A
111 S. First Street
Alhambra, CA 91802
Sierra Madre City Hall
Council Chambers
232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
West Hollywood City Hall
3rd Floor Conference Room
8300 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Arcadia City Hall
Council Chambers Conference Room
240 W. Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91007
Carson City Hall
Executive Conference Room
701 East Carson Street
Carson, CA 90745
Temple City City Hall
City Hall Conference Room
9701 Las Tunas Drive
Temple City, CA 91780
CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL
Chair Parkhurst called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. Annie Mendoza, Deputy Clerk of the Board, conducted roll call.
ROLL CALL
Alhambra Jeff Maloney Committee Member Absent
Arcadia Michael Cao Committee Member Absent
Carson Reata Kulcsar Committee Member Remote
Manhattan Beach David Lesser Committee Member Remote
Oxnard Kathleen Mallory Committee Member Absent
Sierra Madre Robert Parkhurst Chair Remote
South Pasadena Diana Mahmud Committee Member Remote
Temple City Ed Chen Committee Member Remote
West Hollywood Chelsea Byers Committee Member Remote
Energy Planning & Resources Committee Item 1
Agenda Page 4
All votes are unanimous, unless otherwise stated.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Approve Minutes from the September 24, 2025, Energy Committee Meeting
2. Receive and File October 2025 Risk Management Team Report Motion: Committee Mahmud, South Pasadena
Second: Committee Member Byers, West Hollywood
Vote: The consent agenda was approved by a roll call vote
REGULAR AGENDA
3. Oral Update from the Vice President of Power Supply
Lindsay Descagnia, Vice President, Power Supply, reported that the SunZia wind project has achieved its initial synchronization with the CAISO grid, and is currently in a testing phase, with commercial operations anticipated to start next year.
4. Approve Shortlist of Innovation Solicitation by Authorizing the Chief Executive Officer to Execute a Letter of Support for the MN8 Exowatt Proposal and a Conditional Shortlist Agreement with Photon Vault
John McNamara, Director, Structured Contracts, provided information on the Clean Energy Innovation Solicitation: Emerging Technologies and New Business Models program. Track 1 will identify emerging clean energy technologies and Track 2 will focus on new business models, programs, and procurement ideas.
CPA received four proposals for the first submission deadline: two for long-duration energy storage projects, and two for carbon capture projects. An RFO Review Team convened on August 20, 2025, to review confidential offer information. The Review Team directed staff to conduct further due diligence on the two long-duration storage projects.
On November 17, 2025, the RFO Review Team reconvened and reviewed the projects in light of the information obtained through additional due diligence. Both long-duration energy storage projects show potential, although the technologies are still in early stages of commercialization and many uncertainties remain. Mr.
McNamara stated that the Energy Committee is being asked to consider the Review Team’s recommendation to continue advancing the long-duration energy storage proposals; one for a Letter of Support for the MN8 Exowatt project and the other for a Conditional Shortlist Agreement for the Photon Vault project.
For the two chosen proposals, Mr. McNamara described the project details and summarized the evaluation criteria. Mr. McNamara closed the presentation with a timeline update of the solicitation process.
Chair Parkhurst asked staff to explain why two projects were rejected, and the response was that the Review Team and staff believed that the thermal energy storage projects were a better fit for the evaluation criteria posed in the Clean Energy Planning & Resources Committee Item 1
Agenda Page 5
Energy Innovation Solicitation, and that the Energy Committee would benefit from a presentation on carbon capture. The Energy Committee could then determine if the technology should be pursued and if so, CPA could solicit offers in a more structured manner.
Committee Member Mahmud inquired about the projects avoiding the Ivanpah bird incineration issue. Mr. McNamara responded that both projects use mirrors and lenses to avoid adverse environmental impacts. She also suggested that economic feasibility should be considered when a product is available 24/7. Staff confirmed for Committee Member Mahmud that the MN8 project is directly connected to CAISO and not under the Imperial Irrigation District.
Chair Parkhurst noted that the appendix includes explanatory slides on these new technologies and that the companies involved offer videos on their websites.
Committee Member Kulcsar asked about the process for developers to put up collateral; staff responded that the requirements are the same as for other CPA RFOs: the project must continue to meet development milestones, after which an exclusivity agreement would be negotiated.
Committee Member Lesser asked about how staff refines the criteria for the RFOs.
Staff stated that evaluation criteria are reexamined at each RFO cycle, and factors such as market changes are considered. As this is the first Innovation Solicitation round, refinements are likely. Committee Member Lesser also asked for assurances that pursuing these new technologies is a good idea, and staff replied that Photon Vault will likely roll out a similar, larger-scale project in Texas before the CPA project goes forward. Regarding MN8, that developer is already taking orders for their product. Furthermore, companies are being held to the same CPA development milestone standards as for proven technologies.
Motion: Committee Member Mahmud, South Pasadena
Second: Committee Member Byers, West Hollywood
Vote: The item was approved by a roll call vote
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
Committee Member Byers remarked that she watches so many energy technology videos on YouTube that now her feed is full of helpful and interesting renewable energy content.
Chair Parkhurst noted this was the Committee’s last meeting of the year and thanked his colleagues for all the work they do reviewing proposals and studying detailed information to make their decisions. Committee Member Lesser in turn thanked Chair Parkhurst for his leadership and positivity.
ADJOURN
Chair Parkhurst adjourned the meeting at 3:40 p.m.
Energy Planning & Resources Committee Item 1
Agenda Page 6
Staff Report – Agenda Item 2
To: Energy Planning & Resources Committee
From: Lyon Hardgrave, Director, Energy Risk Management
Approved By: Ted Bardacke, Chief Executive Officer
David McNeil, Chief Financial Officer
Subject: Receive and File January 2026 Risk Management Team Report Date: February 25, 2026
January 2026 RMT REPORT
Key Actions
• Reviewed the counterparty credit exposure summary
• Reviewed October 2025 day-ahead load forecast performance • Reviewed December 2025 market performance
• Reviewed 2026 - 2030 energy position recommendations
• Reviewed 2025 - 2030 Renewable and Carbon-Free positions • Reviewed PCC1 purchase and sales strategy
• Reviewed CF purchase and sales strategy
• Reviewed the 2025 Voluntary Allocation update
• Reviewed Sunzia test energy forecast and COD update
• Reviewed 2026 - 2028 slice of day RA position
• Reviewed 2026 LT PPA COD impacts on RA compliance
• Reviewed RA purchase and sales strategy
• Reviewed Energy Risk Management Policy (ERMP) compliance for RA, REC, CF, and Energy
• Reviewed Long-Term Energy Contract amendments and terminations • Reviewed January 2026 CRR Allocations
• Reviewed the Negative REC Price strategy
Agenda Page 7
Energy Planning & Resources Committee Item 2
Policy Compliance
Policy Deviation Required Action
Beginning in June 2024, the
renewable energy hedge ratio
exceeded the maximum hedge
percentage for 2027 due to the
addition of new renewable energy
supply from a PPA.
Beginning in November 2024, the
renewable energy hedge ratio
exceeded the maximum hedge
percentage for 2028-2030 due to a
reduction in the renewable energy
product targets that are used for
long-term power planning and
position management.
None.
The deviations for 2027-2030 will resolve
themselves as CPA nears these years and the
maximum hedge percentages increase.
ATTACHMENT
None.
Agenda Page 8
Staff Report – Agenda Item 3
To: Energy Planning & Resources Committee
From: Lindsay Descagnia, Vice President, Power Supply
Subject: Oral Update from Vice President, Power Supply
Date: February 25, 2026
The VP will provide an oral report on CPA energy procurement activities.
Agenda Page 9
Staff Report – Agenda Item 4
To: Energy Planning & Resources Committee
From: Lindsay Descagnia, Vice President, Power Supply
Reviewed by: Matthew Langer, Chief Operating Officer
Approved By: Ted Bardacke, Chief Executive Officer
Subject: Overview of Carbon Capture Technology
Date: February 25, 2026
Staff will provide an overview of carbon capture technologies and the remaining regulatory hurdles to be addressed before considering whether to solicit for these resources in future Requests for Offers (RFOs).
ATTACHMENT
1. Overview of Carbon Capture Technology Presentation
Agenda Page 10
Overview of Carbon
Capture Technology
February 25, 2026
Agenda Page 11
On May 27, 2025, CPA launched the Clean Energy Innovation Solicitation:
Emerging Technologies and New Business Models (Innovation Solicitation) to identify emerging clean energy technologies (Track 1) and for new business models, programs, and procurement ideas (Track 2).
For the first Track 1 submission deadline, CPA received four proposals, two of which were carbon capture projects.
Although the Innovation Solicitation Review Team did not recommend either carbon capture projects for an award, CPA Staff discussed giving an update on carbon capture technologies, the regulatory hurdles that remain and guidance on how CPA can consider Carbon Capture proposals in future RFOs.
2 Background: Carbon Capture and the Innovation Solicitation Agenda Page 12
What is Carbon Capture?
Carbon capture is a process that prevents Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions by capturing it at the source (e.g. at power plants) or directly from the air. The captured CO₂ is then transported and permanently stored underground or reused in industrial processes.
The key stages of Carbon Capture
Capture - Capture generally occurs either pre-combustion or post-combustion from flue gas from the site or directly from air in the atmosphere.
Transport – Captured emissions are transported typically through pipelines but also through trucks or ships.
Storage/Utilization - Captured CO₂ is typically stored in deep underground geological formations such as oil and gas depleted reservoirs or deep saline aquifers.
Captured CO₂ is frequently used for enhanced oil recovery by injecting CO₂ into aging wells to aid extraction.
However, utilization of captured CO₂ as feedstock in industrial process (such as cement making or refrigeration) or conversion into useful fuels/products like methanol or ethanol are also emerging as routes for utilizing captured CO₂.
Agenda Page 13
3 Common Carbon Capture Methods
4 Pre-combustion capture
o In this process, fuel (e.g. natural gas or coal) is converted typically via a thermochemical processes into syngas (containing mostly CO₂ and Hydrogen). CO₂ is then separated leaving the cleaner gas to be burned for electricity. The separated CO₂ can then be compressed for storage or utilization.
o This process is best suited for new-build facilities. For use in existing power plants, significant redesign of the plant is necessary.
Post-combustion capture
o In this process, CO₂ is captured and separated from flue gas after fuel is burned, typically using chemical solvents that absorb the CO₂. The CO₂ is then compressed, transported, stored or used elsewhere.
o This is the most common carbon capture technique because power plants can be retrofitted to accommodate this technology
Agenda Page 14
Common Carbon Capture Methods (continued)
5 Direct Air capture (DAC)
o DAC technologies capture CO₂ from ambient air by pulling in air through specialized equipment and then using chemical filtration to capture and separate CO₂ for utilization or storage.
o However, because atmospheric CO₂ is very dilute (compared for instance to gas from a power station), DAC systems have higher energy needs and costs relative to other carbon capture technologies.
Capture after Oxy-fuel Combustion
o Oxy-fuel combustion burns CO₂ based fuels (e.g. natural gas) using pure oxygen instead of air, producing exhaust gas consisting mainly of CO₂ and water. The CO₂ can then be used or stored.
o This method reduces Nitrogen oxide emissions and increases efficiency of CO₂ capture. This process is also best suited for new-build facilities.
Agenda Page 15
Carbon Capture Pilot Projects in California
6 Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and Sutter Energy Center Carbon Capture and Storage Project
o Sutter Energy Center is a 550MW natural gas power plant in Yuba City, CA. The plant came online in 2001. It is owned by Calpine and supplies energy to SMUD and CAISO. o Calpine plans to retrofit the plant to allow for a post-combustion capture of CO₂ and construct a new 15-mile pipeline to transport the captured CO₂ to a nearby storage site. The project is expected to capture about 95-98% of the plant’s CO₂ emissions and is projected to come online in 2029, with SMUD potentially remaining as a PPA offtaker.
Project Enterprise at Los Medanos Energy Center
o Project Enterprise is a carbon capture demonstration project to capture 95% of CO₂ from 1MW of diverted flue gas from Calpine’s 580MW Los Medanos gas plant in Pittsburg, CA. o The project diverts flue gas from one of the plant’s exhaust stacks to a separate on-site tower where CO₂ is filtered and captured using chemical solvents. The captured CO₂ is then combined with demolished concrete to produce upcycled rock products for sale to local businesses. o The project was launched in 2023 to validate technology for commercial-scale deployment and had an operational term of 18 months.
Agenda Page 16
Value of Thermal Resources with Carbon Capture
7 Lower-Carbon Baseload or Dispatchable Power – Carbon-capture-equipped thermal plants deliver baseload or dispatchable energy with reduced GHG intensity. However, its impact on the Power Content Label depends on the efficiency of the project’s carbon capture technology and potential future regulatory changes to GHG accounting methodologies to show reduced emissions due to carbon capture.
Resource Adequacy (RA) Attributes - Under New RA Slice of Day framework, thermal plants qualify as baseload resources, contributing to RA requirements in every hour of the day.
Potential for Low-Carbon Reliability Resources in 2045 Net-Zero Scenario – California Air Resources Board (CARB) long-term carbon neutrality studies show a need for some thermal generation for reliability purposes under an economy-wide net-zero carbon by 2045 scenario. Carbon capture could be a vehicle for implementing this presumed need.
Agenda Page 17
Industry Challenges
8 Environmental Challenges
Carbon capture does not avoid fossil fuel combustion; it only reduces the emissions.
Sequestering of captured gas is often used to enhance fossil fuel production.
Increased water use may also pose environmental problems in areas facing water scarcity.
Commercial Challenges
Capital cost – Equipment cost for capture, transport and storage adds significant cost to the energy from thermal resources. Federal tax credits are available to offset some of the cost but they do not cover the entire cost.
Energy requirements – Capturing and compressing CO₂ requires significant amounts of energy which can decrease power plant efficiency/output and offset some of the emissions reductions achieved.
Infrastructure Challenges
Storage site availability – Captured CO₂ is typically stored underground, usually in former oil and gas reservoirs.
Very few sites in California (and neighboring states) are permitted or on track to receive authorization to sequester CO₂.
Transportation – Given limited storage availability, retrofitting or construction of pipelines to transport CO₂ adds additional costs.
Agenda Page 18
Regulatory Framework for GHG Emission Disclosure
9 Currently, it is unclear how resources using carbon capture would be treated for various kinds of reporting and compliance obligations (RPS, IRP, Power Content Label, etc.).
California Air Resources Board (CARB), California Energy Commission (CEC), and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) each have ongoing or future rulemakings that would determine how carbon capture could be utilized to meet load serving entities' compliance obligations. The next steps for each agency are as follows:
o CARB: Establish a calculation for emission reductions due to carbon capture technologies and the specific methodology for different types of carbon capture technologies. CARB also needs to define leakage, the entities that would be held responsible for the leakage, and the compliance consequences of leakage. CARB doesn’t yet have a schedule for identifying the net emissions after carbon capture. o CEC: Determine how natural gas paired with carbon capture systems will be disclosed in Power Source Disclosure (PSD) and Power Content Label (PCL), e.g. will the resource have its own category, or be folded into another resource category. The CEC has not yet initiated a new phase of PSD/PCL proceeding, and it would likely need to follow CARB’s lead on calculating net emissions. o CPUC: Determine whether LSEs can use natural gas paired with carbon capture systems to meet carbon-free requirements under the forthcoming Reliable and Clean Power Procurement Program in the IRP proceeding.
A revised staff proposal and potential workshops are set to be issued in Q2 2026, but there isn’t a timeline for when a program would be adopted and it is unclear whether carbon capture will be addressed.
Agenda Page 19
NEXT STEPS
10 Agenda Page 20
Conclusion and Next Steps
CPA will continue monitoring the development of carbon capture technologies as they address outstanding regulatory requirements
Contracting for carbon capture resources would represent a significant, and likely expensive, long-term commitment on the part of CPA and making that level of commitment without regulatory certainty runs the risk of creating a stranded asset CPA will not include carbon capture as an eligible resource in future solicitations until there is clarity on how such resources would affect compliance obligations, particularly the Power Source Disclosure and Power Content Label
Once there is regulatory clarity, CPA would need to engage in a policy discussion about the environmental pros and cons of potentially contracting for these resources 11 Agenda Page 21