Prepared Remarks of Edison International CEO and CFO
First Quarter 2021 Earnings Teleconference
April 27, 2021, 1:30 p.m. (PT)
Pedro Pizarro, President and Chief Executive Officer, Edison International
Today, Edison International reported core earnings per share of $0.79 compared to $0.63 a year ago. However, this year-over-year comparison is not particularly meaningful because SCE has not received a decision in its 2021 General Rate Case. SCE recognized revenue from CPUC activities for both the first quarter 2020 and 2021 largely based on 2020 authorized base revenue requirements. Maria will discuss our financial performance in her remarks.
Investors have been asking about how we view Edison’s risk profile given news reports that California is headed into another peak wildfire season with above-average risk. As I have shared before, 2019 and 2020 were also above-average-risk years, with 2020 setting records for acres burned. However, and this is a really important “however,” the state has successfully avoided the scale of catastrophic damage seen in 2017 and 2018. I would like to highlight three key factors that have significantly improved our risk profile: state investments to improve firefighting, CPUC progress on AB 1054 implementation, and SCE’s own wildfire mitigation work.
First, the state has increased investments in firefighting capabilities over the last several years. Incorporating the Governor’s 2021–2022 proposed budget, which continues this trend, this would represent a 45% increase in CAL FIRE’s budget since 2016, a 30% increase in firefighters at the peak of the season since 2019, and significant increases in equipment and modeling to enhance the state’s wildfire suppression capabilities. For example, the state is expected to have seven large air tankers operating this fire season and another five in 2022. These enhanced suppression resources will help the state move more quickly to combat wildfires before they become catastrophic. The proposed budget also adds a focus on wildfire prevention, and the Governor and the Legislature have already taken early action. Earlier this month, they approved $536 million to accelerate land and forest management projects laid out