Bill Text: CA AB2779 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Independent System Operator: transmission planning.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-18 - From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 17). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. [AB2779 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB2779-Amended.html

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 21, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2779


Introduced by Assembly Member Petrie-Norris

February 15, 2024


An act to amend Section 454.52 of add Section 350 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to electricity.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2779, as amended, Petrie-Norris. Electricity: renewable energy resources. Independent System Operator: transmission planning.
Existing law establishes the Independent System operator as a nonprofit, public benefit corporation to manage the transmission grid and related energy markets, as provided.
This bill would require the Independent System Operator, upon approval of each transmission plan, to report to the Public Utilities Commission and to the relevant policy committees of each house of the Legislature any new use of any grid enhancing technology that is deemed reasonable by the Independent System Operator in that plan and the cost or efficiency savings of the deployment of that grid enhancing technology.

Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to adopt a process for each load-serving entity to file an integrated resource plan and a schedule for periodic updates to the plan to ensure that it meets, among other things, the state’s targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and the requirement to procure at least 60% of its electricity from eligible renewable energy resources by December 31, 2030. In furtherance of these requirements, existing law requires the commission to consider the role of existing renewable generation, grid operational efficiencies, energy storage, and distributed energy resources, including energy efficiency, in helping to ensure each load-serving entity meets energy needs and reliability needs in hours to encompass the hour of peak demand of electricity, as specified.

This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the latter requirement.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 350 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

350.
 (a) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, upon approval by the Independent System Operator of each transmission plan produced through the transmission planning process, or a successor process, the Independent System Operator shall report to the commission and the relevant policy committees of both houses of the Legislature any new use of any grid enhancing technology that is deemed reasonable by the Independent System Operator in that plan and the costs or efficiency savings of the deployment of that grid enhancing technology.
(b) The report submitted to the relevant policy committees of the Legislature pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be submitted in accordance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

SECTION 1.Section 454.52 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:
454.52.

(a)(1)Beginning in 2017, and to be updated regularly thereafter, the commission shall adopt a process for each load-serving entity to file an integrated resource plan, and a schedule for periodic updates to the plan, and shall ensure that load-serving entities do all of the following:

(A)Meet the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets established by the State Air Resources Board, in coordination with the commission and the Energy Commission, for the electricity sector and each load-serving entity that reflect the electricity sector’s percentage in achieving the economywide greenhouse gas emissions reductions pursuant to Section 38566 of the Health and Safety Code.

(B)Procure at least 60 percent eligible renewable energy resources by December 31, 2030, consistent with the state policy specified in Section 454.53 and Article 16 (commencing with Section 399.11) of Chapter 2.3.

(C)Enable each electrical corporation to fulfill its obligation to serve its customers at just and reasonable rates.

(D)Minimize impacts on ratepayers’ bills.

(E)Ensure system and local reliability on a near-term, mid-term, and long-term basis, including meeting the near-term and forecast long-term resource adequacy requirements of Section 380, and require sufficient, predictable resource procurement and development to avoid unplanned energy supply shortfalls by taking into account impacts due to climate change, forecasted levels of building and transportation electrification, and other factors that can result in those shortfalls.

(F)Comply with paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 399.13.

(G)Strengthen the diversity, sustainability, and resilience of the bulk transmission and distribution systems, and local communities.

(H)Enhance distribution systems and demand-side energy management.

(I)Minimize localized air pollutants and other greenhouse gas emissions, with early priority on disadvantaged communities identified pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code.

(J)Maintain a diverse portfolio of energy resources, which may include eligible energy resources procured by the Department of Water Resources.

(2)(A)The commission may authorize all source procurement for load-serving entities that includes various resource types including demand-side resources, supply-side resources, and resources that may be either demand-side resources or supply-side resources, taking into account the differing load-serving entities’ geographic service areas, to ensure that each load-serving entity meets the goals set forth in paragraph (1).

(B)The commission may approve procurement of resource types that will reduce the overall emissions of greenhouse gases from the electricity sector and meet the other goals specified in paragraph (1), but due to the nature of the technology or fuel source may not compete favorably in price against other resources over the time period of the integrated resource plan.

(3)In furtherance of the requirements of paragraph (1), the commission shall consider the role of existing renewable generation, grid operational efficiencies, energy storage, and distributed energy resources, including energy efficiency, in helping to ensure each load-serving entity meets energy needs and reliability needs in hours to encompass the hour of peak demand of electricity, excluding demand met by variable renewable generation directly connected to a California balancing authority, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 399.12, while reducing the need for new electricity generation resources and new transmission resources in achieving the state’s energy goals at the least cost to ratepayers.

(4)(A)On or before September 1, 2024, and consistent with the process and schedule adopted pursuant to paragraph (1), the commission, in consultation with the Energy Commission and the Independent System Operator, shall determine if there is a need for the procurement of eligible energy resources based on a review of the integrated resource plans submitted by load-serving entities in compliance with the requirements of this section and Section 454.53 and the progress towards meeting the portfolio of resources identified pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 454.51.

(B)If the commission determines that there is a need for the procurement of eligible energy resources, the commission shall specify the eligible energy resources that should be procured to meet that need.

(C)Within six months of determining that there is a need for the procurement of eligible energy resources, the commission may request the Department of Water Resources to exercise its central procurement function to procure those eligible energy resources specified pursuant to subparagraph (B) that meet the portfolio of resources identified in subdivision (a) of Section 454.51.

(D)(i)Upon receiving a request pursuant to subparagraph (C), the Department of Water Resources, before January 1, 2035, may exercise its central procurement function to conduct one or more competitive solicitations and enter into contracts to procure eligible energy resources in order to achieve the policy of the state specified in Section 454.53.

(ii)Any contract entered into by the Department of Water Resources pursuant to clause (i) and approved by the commission pursuant to Section 80821 of the Water Code before January 1, 2035, shall remain in force for the duration of the contract.

(E)The Department of Water Resources’ exercising of its central procurement function to procure eligible energy resources pursuant to this paragraph shall be conducted in accordance with Division 29.5 (commencing with Section 80800) of the Water Code.

(b)(1)Each load-serving entity shall prepare and file an integrated resource plan consistent with paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) on a time schedule directed by the commission and subject to commission review.

(2)Each electrical corporation’s plan shall follow Section 454.5.

(3)The plan of a community choice aggregator shall be submitted to its governing board for approval and provided to the commission for certification, consistent with paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 366.2, and shall achieve all of the following:

(A)Economic, reliability, environmental, security, and other benefits and performance characteristics that are consistent with the goals set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).

(B)A diversified procurement portfolio consisting of short-term and long-term electricity, electricity-related, and demand reduction products.

(C)The resource adequacy requirements established pursuant to Section 380.

(4)The plan of an electric service provider shall achieve the goals set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) through a diversified portfolio consisting of short-term and long-term electricity, electricity-related, and demand reduction products.

(c)To the extent that additional procurement is authorized for the electrical corporation in the integrated resource plan or the procurement process authorized pursuant to Section 454.5, the commission shall ensure that the costs are allocated in a fair and equitable manner to all customers consistent with Section 454.51, that there is no cost shifting among customers of load-serving entities, and that community choice aggregators may self-provide renewable integration resources consistent with Section 454.51. The commission may order the procurement of resources with specific attributes by load-serving entities as a result of the integrated resource planning process and shall enforce any resource procurement requirements on a nondiscriminatory basis. Enforcement may include the assessment of penalties for noncompliance.

(d)To eliminate redundancy and increase efficiency, the process adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall incorporate, and not duplicate, any other planning processes of the commission.

(e)This section applies to an electrical cooperative, as defined in Section 2776, only if the electrical cooperative has an annual electrical demand exceeding 700 gigawatthours, as determined based on a three-year average commencing with January 1, 2013.

(f)(1)The commission shall not include the energy, capacity, or any attribute from Diablo Canyon Unit 1 beyond November 1, 2024, or Unit 2 beyond August 26, 2025, in the adopted integrated resource plan portfolios, resource stacks, or preferred system plans.

(2)The commission shall disallow a load-serving entity from including in their adopted integrated resource plan any energy, capacity, or any attribute from the Diablo Canyon Unit 1 beyond November 1, 2024, or Unit 2 beyond August 26, 2025.

(g)For a thermal powerplant that uses nuclear fission technology not constructed in the twenty-first century, all resource attributes shall be retired on January 1, 2031, and shall be reported as a separate, line item resource for purposes of complying with Section 398.4.

(h)(1)Only a new energy resource that meets all of the following requirements is eligible to be procured by the Department of Water Resources pursuant to this section:

(A)The resource directly supports attainment of the goals specified in Section 454.53 without increasing the state’s dependence on any fossil fuel-based resources.

(B)The resource is determined by the commission to not be under contract at sufficient levels as shown in load-serving entities’ most recent individual integrated resource plans submitted to and reviewed by the commission pursuant to this section to achieve the goals specified in Section 454.53.

(C)The resource has a construction and development lead time of at least five years.

(D)The resource does not generate electricity using fossil fuels or fuels derived from fossil fuels.

(E)The resource does not use combustion to generate electricity, unless that combustion use is ancillary and necessary to facilitate geothermal electricity generation.

(2)Resources from a pump hydroelectric facility may be procured by the Department of Water Resources pursuant to this section if the pump hydroelectric facility does not exceed 500 megawatts and has been directly appropriated funding by the state before January 1, 2023.

(i)For purposes of this section, “load-serving entity” has the same meaning as defined in Section 380.

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