Electricity: transmission planning and permitting.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how often or in what manner the agencies will create guidance for connecting new renewable energy sources, nor does it explicitly mention the bill's impact on meeting state energy goals.

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 state agency that regulates utilities like electricity companies.

Independent System Operator

An organization that manages the flow of electricity across a large part of the power grid to ensure it is reliable and efficient.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much money will be spent on these updates.
• It's unclear if reviewing the memorandum more frequently will improve energy planning effectiveness or speed.

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