Southern California Edison

Southern California Edison (SCE) has supplied electricity to the region since its founding in 1886 as the West Side Lighting Company. Over nearly a century and a half, it grew through mergers to become the dominant utility for a 50,000-square-mile territory that stretches from the Pacific coast to the Mojave Desert, serving roughly 15 million people. Its infrastructure includes hydroelectric plants generating about 1,200 megawatts, and it once held a 75 percent stake in the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which was permanently shut down in 2013 after years of operational problems.

California's electricity market deregulation in the late 1990s forced SCE to sell most of its fossil-fuel power plants, reshaping its business model. Today the company focuses on transmission and distribution, integrating renewable energy, and helping customers manage their bills through assistance programs and efficiency incentives. Uniquely, SCE also operates the only gas and water utilities on Santa Catalina Island, under the names Catalina Island Gas Company and Catalina Island Water Company.

The company's recent history has been marked by wildfire-related challenges. In August 2026, Los Angeles County fire investigators concluded that an idle SCE transmission tower caused the Eaton Fire, which killed 19 people and devastated Altadena in January 2025. That finding has led to litigation and financial exposure, prompting SCE to invest heavily in grid hardening and public safety power shutoffs to reduce future fire risk. [edit]