Electricity: transmission planning and permitting.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide details about the content or purpose of the memorandum beyond its review frequency.

Electricity Transmission Planning

The bill requires state agencies to review a memorandum of understanding related to electricity transmission planning more frequently.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, and Independent System Operator to review and update a memorandum of understanding every 3 years instead of every 5 years.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
• State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
• Independent System Operator

Terms To Know

Public Utilities Commission (PUC)

A government agency that regulates utilities like electricity companies.

Independent System Operator

An organization that manages the flow of electricity across different parts of a power grid to ensure reliability and efficiency.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how often or under what circumstances the memorandum should be updated beyond every three years.
• It is unclear if there will be additional costs associated with more frequent reviews, and who would bear these costs.

Official Summary Text

SB 836, as introduced, Rubio.
Electricity: transmission planning and permitting.
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission), on or before March 31, 2024, to provide transmission-focused guidance to the Independent System Operator about resource portfolios of expected future renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources, including the allocation of those resources by region based on technical feasibility and commercial interest in each region to allow the Independent System Operator to identify and approve transmission facilities needed to interconnect resources and reliably serve the needs of load centers, as specified .
On December 23, 2022, the PUC, Energy Commission, and Independent System Operator entered into a memorandum of understanding related to resource and transmission planning,
transmission development and permitting, procurement, and interconnections in order to achieve reliability and policy needs and to coordinate the timely development of resources, resource interconnections, and needed transmission infrastructure. Existing law requires the Energy Commission and PUC, in coordination with the Independent System Operator, every 5 years, to review and update, as necessary, the memorandum of understanding and a related workplan to ensure the memorandum and workplan reflect the coordination that is needed to help meet the state’s energy goals.
This bill would require those entities to review and update, as necessary, the memorandum every 3 years, rather than every 5 years.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF