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Patricia Poppe

Chief Executive Officer & Director, PG&E Corporation

Search every verified Patricia Poppe interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Patricia Poppe, CEO of PG&E, has recently discussed the company's financial challenges and its efforts to improve safety and affordability. In public appearances, she stated that PG&E has reduced rates five times since January 2024, with bills for the company's most vulnerable customers down 23%, and reported that the utility has gone four years without a major wildfire caused by its equipment. Poppe also said the company has received over 10 gigawatts of applications for new data center load, which she argued could lower rates for other customers by bringing in new revenue. Poppe has also addressed the company's financial position following the California legislature's rejection of a bill that would have reformed wildfire liability rules. She said that under current California law, which assigns wildfire costs to utilities and their customers, investors face higher risk and have taken their money elsewhere, limiting the company's ability to fund infrastructure work. In response, PG&E announced it would defer roughly $2 billion in capital investments planned for 2027 and launched a strategic review of its business organization and financing. Poppe has called for legislative changes to reduce the company's cost of debt and has described the current moment as a "turning point" for PG&E and California's energy future.

Recent appearances

Verified interview transcripts

Notable quotes

“Number one, let's get wildfire reform passed and dramatically reduce the cost of debt for infrastructure that we build. Um and then uh number two, uh I do think it's time for uh some a look at rate design and cost allocation. Um for example, uh in the Central Valley where we have high volumetric usage because they have high air conditioning load, they pay a much higher cost and a higher percentage of costs of wildfir”

“We're not done yet. Uh look, we're we hear the cries. We know those are legitimate concerns from people on the affordability of all things and our bills being one of them. We had a lot of catch-up that we had to do coming out of our bankruptcy. It was a very difficult time for the company and therefore our customers. Uh and I'm happy to report that as you mentioned, we reduced our rates five times in the last 2 years”

“Well, first of all, I can assure you that our first priority is our customers. And actually, Wall Street wants the same thing. They care a lot about our ability to serve our customers well. And they track all the facilities for that. It's one of the key investment thesis they will look at. Do you serve your customers well? So I think the investor-owned utility model actually aligns customer and investor interests. Th”

“We haven't finished the job yet. Look, we're listening to people's complaints. We know that people have these legitimate concerns about affordability of everything. And our bills are one of them. We had to do a lot of repayment to get out of bankruptcy. It was a very difficult time for the company and for our customers. And I'm happy to report that as you said, we've reduced our rates five times in the last two years”

“There is an opportunity because we rerated post a fire we had nothing to do with and a liability construct that will get changed at some point. It's a question of when. Getting in at this price is an incredible deal. We are on our we it's an automatic correction when the legislation is passed. So whenever that happens, so the investor has to decide when do you think that would happen. And then the fundamentals of the”

“We have lowered rates five times in the last two years. Lowered our most vulnerable customers rates by 23% in the last two years, 13% for everybody else. Not so much driven by demand, but by improving how we do work. We've been leading a significant transformation at PG&E driven with a by a lean operating system. I brought that from my years in automotive. I learned all about quality management and lean manufacturing”

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