San Francisco (Platts)--6Nov2009/548 am EST/1048 GMT

More than 80% of new renewables projects approved by the California Public Utilities Commission are under development, but more than half of the projects are "experiencing some sort of delay," according to a PUC report released Thursday.

Since March, the amount of renewable capacity that has been delayed has doubled, according to the PUC's quarterly renewable portfolio standard report. Most project delays are due to lack of transmission "or generation permitting at the county, state, or federal level," the report said.

As of October, the report said, the PUC had approved 129 contracts totaling 10,271 MW towards the state's renewable portfolio standard. It is reviewing an additional 30 contracts totaling 4,605 MW, the report said.

Based on pending and approved contracts, investor-owned utilities are expected to reach the current 20% renewables target in the 2013-2014 timeframe, the report says.

The current 20% by 2010 renewables mandate gives load serving entities additional time to achieve the goal, if they encounter transmission or certain other obstacles.

The contract cancellation rate for the RPS program overall has remained at 7%.

About half of the canceled projects were from 2002-2003, interim RPS solicitations or were small bioenergy projects, the report said.