SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California electricity consumers could see $1.6 billion in refunds from energy wholesalers that profited from the state’s energy crisis more than a dozen years ago, if an administrative law judge’s recommendation holds up under review, regulators said Tuesday.

The California Public Utilities Commission praised the judge’s interim ruling as a victory for a state that saw energy prices spike to unprecedented heights amid rolling blackouts in the summer of 2000. The state itself bought billions of dollars’ worth of electricity to keep the lights on.