Cover and table of contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

77 Beale Street															77 Beale Street
P.O. Box 770000															P.O. Box 770000
San Francisco,			California						94117						San Francisco,			California						94117
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)															(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
			415			973-1000												415			973-1000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)															(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: none

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the documents listed below have been incorporated by reference into the indicated parts of this report, as specified in the responses to the item numbers involved:

Contents

UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

GLOSSARY

The following terms and abbreviations appearing in the text of this report have the meanings indicated below.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains forward-looking statements that are necessarily subject to various risks and uncertainties. These statements reflect management’s judgment and opinions that are based on current estimates, expectations, and projections about future events and assumptions regarding these events and management’s knowledge of facts as of the date of this report. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other matters, estimated losses, including penalties and fines, associated with various investigations and proceedings; forecasts of capital expenditures; estimates and assumptions used in critical accounting policies, including those relating to insurance receivable, regulatory assets and liabilities, environmental remediation, litigation, third-party claims, the Wildfire Fund, and other liabilities; and the level of future equity or debt issuances. These statements are also identified by words such as “assume,” “expect,” “intend,” “forecast,” “plan,” “project,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “anticipate,” “may,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “potential” and similar expressions. PG&E Corporation and the Utility are not able to predict all the factors that may affect future results. Some of the factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, or from historical results, include, but are not limited to:

• PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s historical financial information not being indicative of future financial performance as a result of the Chapter 11 Cases and the financial and other restructuring recently undergone by PG&E Corporation and the Utility in connection with their emergence from Chapter 11;

• the ability of PG&E Corporation and the Utility to raise financing for operations and investment;

• the risks and uncertainties associated with appeals of the Confirmation Order;

• the risks and uncertainties associated with the 2019 Kincade fire, including the extent of the Utility’s liability in connection with the 2019 Kincade fire and whether the Utility will be able to timely recover related costs incurred therewith in excess of insurance; the timing of the insurance recoveries; the timing and outcome of the referral of the Cal Fire report in connection therewith to the Sonoma County District Attorney; and potential liabilities in connection with fines or penalties that could be imposed on the Utility if the CPUC or any other enforcement agency were to bring an enforcement action;

• the risks and uncertainties associated with any other wildfires, including the extent of the Utility’s liability in connection with the 2020 Zogg fire, and the timing of the insurance recoveries; and with any other wildfires that have occurred and/or may occur in the Utility’s service territory for which the cause has yet to be determined;

• the Utility Community Wildfire Safety Program’s ability to help reduce wildfire threats and improve safety as a result of climate-driven wildfires and extreme weather, including the Utility’s ability to comply with the targets and metrics set forth in its WMP; whether the Utility is able to retain or contract for the workforce necessary to execute its Community Wildfire Safety Program; and the cost of the program and the timing of the outcome of any proceeding to recover such costs through rates;

• the ability of PG&E Corporation and the Utility to securitize $7.5 billion of costs related to the 2017 Northern California wildfires in a financing transaction that is designed to be rate neutral to customers;

• the impact of the Utility’s implementation of its PSPS program, including the timing and outcome of the OII to Examine the Late 2019 Public Safety Power Shutoff Events and Order to Show Cause Against the Utility Related to Implementation of the October 2019 PSPS Events and the purported Public Safety Power Shutoff class action filed in December 2019, and whether any fines or penalties or civil liability for damages will be imposed on the Utility as a result; the costs in connection with PSPS events, the timing and outcome of any proceeding to recover such costs through rates, and the effects on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s reputations caused by implementation of the PSPS program;

• whether the Utility may be liable for future wildfires, and the impact of AB 1054 on potential losses in connection with such wildfires, including the CPUC’s implementation of the procedures for recovering such losses;

• the risks and uncertainties associated with the requirement under AB 1054 that the Utility maintain a valid safety certification pursuant to Section 8389(e) of the California Public Utilities Code and the potential implications for accessing the Wildfire Fund and in related CPUC proceedings in the event the Utility fails to maintain a valid safety certification, which could also result in the appointment by the CPUC of an independent third-party monitor to oversee the Utility’s operations as part of the Enhanced Oversight and Enforcement Process;

• the risks and uncertainties associated with the Utility’s ability to access the Wildfire Fund, including that the Wildfire Fund has sufficient remaining funds;

• the risks and uncertainties associated with certain indemnity obligations to current and former officers and directors, as well as potential indemnity obligations to underwriters for certain of the Utility’s note offerings, in connection with three purported class actions that have been consolidated and denominated In re PG&E Corporation Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Case No. 18-035509, which has been enjoined as to PG&E Corporation and the Utility pursuant to the Plan with such claims to be resolved by the Bankruptcy Court as part of the claims reconciliation process in the Chapter 11 Cases;

• the timing and outcome of future regulatory and legislative developments, including future wildfire reforms, inverse condemnation reform, and other wildfire mitigation measures or other reforms targeted at the Utility or its industry;

• the severity, extent and duration of the global COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows, as well as on energy demand in the Utility’s service territory, the ability of the Utility to collect on customer invoices, the ability of the Utility to mitigate these effects, including with spending reductions, and the ability of the Utility to recover any losses incurred in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of workforce disruptions;

• whether the Utility will be able to obtain full recovery of its significantly increased insurance premiums, and the timing of any such recovery;

• whether the Utility can obtain wildfire insurance at a reasonable cost in the future, or at all, and whether insurance coverage is adequate for future losses or claims;

• increased employee attrition as a result of the challenging political and operating environment facing PG&E Corporation and the Utility;

• the timing and outcomes of the FERC TO18 and TO19 rate cases, 2018 and 2019 CEMA applications, WEMA application, WMCE application, future applications for cost recovery of amounts recorded to the FRMMA, CPPMA, WMPMA, VMBA, WMBA, and RTBA, future cost of capital proceedings, and other ratemaking and regulatory proceedings;

• the outcome of the probation and the Monitorship imposed by the federal court after the Utility’s conviction in the federal criminal trial in 2017, the timing and outcomes of the debarment proceeding, potential reliability penalties or sanctions from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or Western Electricity Coordinating Council, investigations that have been or may be commenced relating to the Utility’s compliance with natural gas- and electric- related laws and regulations, and the ultimate amount of fines, penalties, and remedial costs that the Utility may incur in connection with the outcomes including the costs of complying with any additional conditions of probation imposed in connection with the Utility’s federal criminal proceeding, such as expenses associated with any material expansion of the Utility’s vegetation management program, as well as the impact of additional conditions of probation on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s ability to make distributions to shareholders;

• the effects on PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s reputations caused by matters such as the CPUC’s investigations and enforcement proceedings and the Utility’s criminal guilty plea as described in Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. under the heading “District Attorneys’ Offices Investigations”;

• the outcome of future legislative or regulatory actions as part of the “Enhanced Oversight and Enforcement Process” or otherwise that may be taken, such as requiring the Utility to transfer ownership of the Utility’s assets to municipalities or other public entities, or implement corporate governance, operational or other changes;

• whether the Utility can control its operating costs within the authorized levels of spending, and timely recover its costs through rates; whether the Utility can continue implementing a streamlined organizational structure and achieve project savings, the extent to which the Utility incurs unrecoverable costs that are higher than the forecasts of such costs; and changes in cost forecasts or the scope and timing of planned work resulting from changes in customer demand for electricity and natural gas or other reasons;

• whether the Utility and its third-party vendors and contractors are able to protect the Utility’s operational networks and information technology systems from cyber- and physical attacks, or other internal or external hazards;

• the timing and outcome in the Court of Appeals of the appeal of the FERC’s order denying rehearing on March 17, 2020 granting the Utility a 50-basis point ROE incentive adder for continued participation in the CAISO;

• the outcome of current and future self-reports, investigations, or other enforcement proceedings that could be commenced or notices of violation that could be issued relating to the Utility’s compliance with laws, rules, regulations, or orders applicable to its operations, including the construction, expansion, or replacement of its electric and gas facilities, electric grid reliability, audit, inspection and maintenance practices, customer billing and privacy, physical and cybersecurity, environmental laws and regulations; and the outcome of existing and future SED notices of violations;

• the impact of government regulations that the Utility is subject to, including environmental remediation laws, regulations, and orders; the ultimate amount of costs incurred to discharge the Utility’s known and unknown remediation obligations; and the extent to which the Utility is able to recover such compliance costs in rates or from other sources;

• the impact of SB 100, signed into law on September 10, 2018, which increased the percentage from 50% to 60% of California’s electricity portfolio that must come from renewables by 2030; and establishes state policy that 100% of all retail electricity sales must come from renewable portfolio standard-eligible or carbon-free resources by 2045;

• how the CPUC and the CARB implement state environmental laws relating to GHG, renewable energy targets, energy efficiency standards, distributed energy resources, electric vehicles, and similar matters, including whether the Utility is able to continue recovering associated compliance costs, such as the cost of emission allowances and offsets under cap-and-trade regulations; and whether the Utility is able to timely recover its associated investment costs;

• the impact of the California governor’s executive order issued on January 26, 2018, to implement a new target of five million zero-emission vehicles on the road in California by 2030 and the California governor’s executive order issued on September 23, 2020, requiring sales of all new passenger vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035 and additional measures to eliminate harmful emissions from the transportation sector;

• the ultimate amount of unrecoverable environmental costs the Utility incurs associated with the Utility’s natural gas compressor station site located near Hinkley, California and the Utility’s fossil fuel-fired generation sites;

• the impact of new legislation or NRC regulations, recommendations, policies, decisions, or orders relating to the nuclear industry, including operations, seismic design, security, safety, relicensing, the storage of spent nuclear fuel, decommissioning, cooling water intake, or other issues; the impact of potential actions, such as legislation, taken by state agencies that may affect the Utility’s ability to continue operating Diablo Canyon until its planned retirement;

• the impact of wildfires, droughts, floods, high winds, lightning or other weather-related conditions or events, climate change, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, war, vandalism (including cyber-attacks), downed power lines, and other events, that can cause unplanned outages, reduce generating output, disrupt the Utility’s service to customers, or damage or disrupt the facilities, operations, or information technology and systems owned by the Utility, its customers, or third parties on which the Utility relies, and the reparation and other costs that the Utility may incur in connection with such conditions or events; the impact of the adequacy of the Utility’s emergency preparedness; whether the Utility incurs liability to third parties for property damage or personal injury caused by such events; whether the Utility is subject to civil, criminal, or regulatory penalties in connection with such events; and whether the Utility’s insurance coverage is available for these types of claims and sufficient to cover the Utility’s liability;

• the breakdown or failure of equipment that can cause damages, including fires, and unplanned outages; and whether the Utility will be subject to investigations, penalties, and other costs in connection with such events;

• the outcome of future legislative developments in connection with SB 350 (the Golden State Energy Act), a bill which was signed into law on June 30, 2020 and authorizes the creation by the California governor of a new entity “Golden State Energy,” a nonprofit public benefit corporation, for the purpose of acquiring the Utility’s assets and serving electric and gas in the Utility’s service territory in the event that the CPUC revokes the Utility’s Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity;

• whether the Utility’s climate change adaptation strategies are successful;

• the impact that reductions in Utility customer demand for electricity and natural gas, driven by customer departures to CCAs and DA providers, have on the Utility’s ability to make and recover its investments through rates and earn its authorized return on equity, and whether the Utility is successful in addressing the impact of growing distributed and renewable generation resources, and changing customer demand for its natural gas and electric services;

• the supply and price of electricity, natural gas, and nuclear fuel; the extent to which the Utility can manage and respond to the volatility of energy commodity prices; the ability of the Utility and its counterparties to post or return collateral in connection with price risk management activities; and whether the Utility is able to recover timely its electric generation and energy commodity costs through rates, including its renewable energy procurement costs;

• the amount and timing of charges reflecting probable liabilities for third-party claims; the extent to which costs incurred in connection with third-party claims or litigation can be recovered through insurance, rates, or from other third parties; and whether the Utility can continue to obtain adequate insurance coverage for future losses or claims, especially following a major event that causes widespread third-party losses;

• the risks and uncertainties associated with any future substantial sales of shares of common stock of PG&E Corporation by existing shareholders, including the Fire Victim Trust, the PIPE Investors and the Backstop Parties;

• the impact of the regulation of utilities and their holding companies, including how the CPUC interprets and enforces the financial and other conditions imposed on PG&E Corporation when it became the Utility’s holding company, and whether the uncertainty in connection with the Utility’s probation or enforcement matters will impact the Utility’s ability to make distributions to PG&E Corporation;

• the outcome of federal or state tax audits and the impact of any changes in federal or state tax laws, policies, regulations, or their interpretation;

• whether PG&E Corporation or the Utility undergoes an “ownership change” within the meaning of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), as a result of which tax attributes could be limited;

• changes in the regulatory and economic environment, including potential changes affecting clean energy and tax policy, as a result of the current federal administration and Congress; and

• the impact of changes in GAAP, standards, rules, or policies, including those related to regulatory accounting, and the impact of changes in their interpretation or application.

For more information about the significant risks that could affect the outcome of the forward-looking statements and PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s future financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows, see Item 1A. Risk Factors below and a detailed discussion of these matters contained in Item 7. MD&A. PG&E Corporation and the Utility do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether in response to new information, future events, or otherwise.

PG&E Corporation’s and the Utility’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and proxy statements, are available free of charge on both PG&E Corporation’s website, www.pgecorp.com, and the Utility's website, www.pge.com, as promptly as practicable after they are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Additionally, PG&E Corporation and the Utility routinely provide links to the Utility’s principal regulatory proceedings before the CPUC and the FERC at http://investor.pgecorp.com, under the “Regulatory Filings” tab, so that such filings are available to investors upon filing with the relevant agency. PG&E Corporation and the Utility also routinely post or provide direct links to presentations, documents, and other information that may be of interest to investors at http://investor.pgecorp.com, under the “PG&E Progress,” “Chapter 11,” “Wildfire and Safety Updates” and “News & Events: Events & Presentations” tabs, respectively, in order to publicly disseminate such information. It is possible that any of these filings or information included therein could be deemed to be material information. The information contained on such website is not part of this or any other report that PG&E Corporation or the Utility files with, or furnishes to, the SEC. PG&E Corporation and the Utility are providing the address to this website solely for the information of investors and do not intend the address to be an active link.

PART I