Skip To Content
Contact us
INVESTORS CAREERS NEWS LOGIN
2026 California Market Update

2026 California Market Update

During NRG’s California Market Update, moderator, Andy Vance and presenters, Cem Turhal and Rob Englund discussed trends and regulatory policies shaping electricity and natural gas markets across the Golden State. They also touched on purchasing strategies to confidently manage risk during challenging market fluctuations.

Watch the webinar

Our experts reviewed:

  • Detailed insights on power and gas pricing trends, including analysis of index and forward strips
  • Rising demand and peak load forecasts
  • Seasonal weather mapping
  • Gas production, storage, and LNG export growth
  • Solar and battery buildout, retirements, and a shifting generation stack
  • Policy developments, including the Resource Adequacy (RA) market redesign, Integrated Resource Planning (IRP), carbon market impacts on supply, and the western regionalization of day-ahead markets

Key takeaways

Want more context? Download our comprehensive summary of the discussion to keep all the in-depth details right at your fingertips.

Download the Summary Sheet

Speakers

Rob Englund – Client Strategist, NRG Energy, Inc.

 

As a client strategist at NRG, Rob helps large businesses in California and Texas plan, devise, and execute energy strategies that are uniquely tailored to their risk tolerance, consumption, and budget objectives. He does this through energy market analysis, tracking fundamentals, and his deep knowledge of the regulatory and market constructs in both markets.

Rob first joined NRG in 2017 as a pricing analyst working alongside Sales and Operations to structure complex product offerings for current and prospective electricity customers in PJM. Previously, he worked in the regulated utility and consulting industries where he provided data analytics, reporting, and consulting services for a diverse set of clients.

Cem Turhal – Director, Western U.S. Regulatory Affairs, NRG Energy, Inc.

 

Cem Turhal is the Director of Regulatory Affairs for Western United States at NRG, overseeing regulatory work across California, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. Cem also serves on the boards of the Western Power Trading Forum, the Alliance for Retail Energy Markets, and the Northwest & Intermountain Power Producers Coalition. Previously, Cem served as the Regulatory Relations Advocate for Pacific Gas and Electric, where he advanced the company’s regulatory interests, shaped clean energy policies, and led strategic initiatives, including the Diablo Canyon Power Plant relicensing, the Slice of Day Resource Adequacy framework, and the development of time-of-use rate design. Earlier, he held leadership roles at the California Public Utilities Commission and modeled Western energy markets at ABB.

Moderator

Andrew Vance - Director, West Portfolio Services, NRG Energy, Inc.

 

Andrew “Andy” Vance manages a team of strategists who work with customers to develop supply and demand-side strategies to reduce and manage risk. The team focuses on using advanced analytics and market conditions to make collaborative energy decisions. Andy has worked in the energy industry for 10 years in roles and departments including portfolio strategist, project management, and digital transformation leadership. Andy holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences and Technology from Penn State University.

STAY IN
THE KNOW