Electricity: interconnections.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's status is currently vetoed, but there is uncertainty if lawmakers will attempt to override this decision.

Electricity: Making Connections Easier

AB-1408 requires electricity companies and the ISO to consider extra ways to connect and share power, making it easier to use existing grid infrastructure.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Independent System Operator (ISO) to integrate surplus interconnection service considerations into its long-term transmission planning and enhance transparency around these opportunities.
• Makes sure that big electricity companies evaluate and consider extra connection options when planning how they will meet future needs, as part of their integrated resource plans.
• Tells local public utilities with high demand to also evaluate and consider extra connection options for their integrated resource plans.

Who It Names or Affects

• Independent System Operator (ISO)
• Big electricity companies
• Local public utilities with annual electrical demand exceeding 700 gigawatthours

Terms To Know

Integrated Resource Plan

A plan that big electricity companies and local public utilities make to meet future power needs.

Surplus interconnection service

Extra ways for electricity companies to connect and share power with each other.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill was vetoed by the governor, but lawmakers might try to override this decision.
• It does not specify how much it will cost or who will pay for these changes.

Official Summary Text

AB 1408, Irwin.
Electricity: interconnections.
Existing law establishes the Independent System Operator (ISO) as a nonprofit, public benefit corporation and requires the ISO, among other duties, to ensure the efficient use and reliable operation of the transmission grid consistent with the achievement of planning and operating reserve criteria, as provided.
This bill would require the ISO to integrate surplus interconnection service considerations into its long-term transmission planning and enhance transparency around surplus interconnection service opportunities, as specified.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards.
Existing law requires the commission to adopt a process for each load-serving entity to file an integrated resource plan, adopt a schedule for periodic updates to the plan, and ensure each load-serving entity take specified actions, as specified. Existing law also requires the governing board of each local publicly owned electric utility with an annual electrical demand exceeding 700 gigawatthours to adopt an integrated resource plan and a process for updating the plan at least once every 5 years to ensure the utility achieves certain goals, as specified.
This bill would require each electrical corporation, and each local publicly owned utility with an annual electrical demand exceeding 700 gigawatthours, to require the evaluation of surplus interconnection service options and to consider surplus interconnection service options, for purposes of its integrated resource plan.
This bill
would also require each electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility to use available grid infrastructure through surplus interconnection service to use any available interconnection capacity, as specified.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because certain provisions of this bill would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing the bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Additionally, by imposing new duties on local publicly owned electric utilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain
costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF