PUBLIC UTILITIES – Adds to existing law to provide for new large loads.

LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
SENATE
SENATE
BILL
NO.
1368
BY
STATE
AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
PUBLIC
UTILITIES;
AMENDING
CHAPTER
3,
TITLE
61,
IDAHO
CODE,
BY
2
THE
ADDITION
OF
A
NEW
SECTION
61
-
335,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
ESTABLISH
PROVI
-
3
SIONS
REGARDING
NEW
LARGE
LOADS;
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMERGENCY
AND
PROVID
-
4
ING
AN
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
5
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
6
SECTION
1.
That
Chapter
3,
Title
61,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
7
hereby
amended
by
the
addition
thereto
of
a
NEW
SECTION
,
to
be
known
and
des
-
8
ignated
as
Section
61
-
335,
Idaho
Code,
and
to
read
as
follows:
9
61
-
335.
NEW
LARGE
LOAD
AND
RATEPAYER
PROTECTION.
(1)
For
the
purposes
10
of
this
section:
1
1
(a)
"New
large
load"
means
any
electrical
load
associated
with
a
new
12
service
entrance,
any
additional
electric
service
associated
with
a
13
change,
enlargement,
or
other
modification
of
a
service
entrance,
or
14
the
utilization
of
an
existing
service
entrance
that:
15
(i)
Results
in
an
increase
in
power
requirements
of
such
ser
-
16
vice
entrance
of
thirty
(30)
megawatts
or
more
in
any
consecutive
17
thirty
-
six
(36)
month
period;
and
18
(ii)
Is
subject
to
a
service
contract
with
a
public
utility
that
19
was
entered
into
on
or
after
July
1,
2026.
20
(b)
The
following
terms
shall
have
the
same
meaning
as
provided
for
in
21
section
61
-
332A,
Idaho
Code:
22
(i)
"Commission";
23
(ii)
"Consumer";
24
(iii)
"Electric
service";
25
(iv)
"New
service
entrance";
26
(v)
"Public
utility";
and
27
(vi)
"Service
entrance."
28
(2)
A
public
utility
shall
only
provide
service
to
a
new
large
load
pur
-
29
suant
to
a
commission
-
approved
service
contract.
30
(3)
A
public
utility
shall
file
the
service
contract
with
the
commis
-
31
sion
for
approval
prior
to
providing
service
to
a
new
large
load.
Such
filing
32
shall
include
supporting
information
sufficient
to
demonstrate
compliance
33
with
the
requirements
of
this
section.
34
(4)
The
commission
shall
review
and
approve
or
deny
a
new
large
load
35
service
contract
within
one
hundred
eighty
(180)
days
of
receiving
such
fil
-
36
ing
by
the
public
utility.
The
commission
shall
approve
the
service
contract
37
if
the
public
utility
demonstrates
that:
38
(a)
It
is
reasonably
expected
to
maintain
the
same
or
higher
level
of
39
service
quality
and
reliability
available
to
the
public
utility's
other
40
customers
as
would
have
been
reasonably
expected
to
exist
had
the
public
41
utility
not
served
the
new
large
load;
42

2
(b)
The
new
large
load
is
responsible
for
funding
its
share
of
gener
-
1
ation,
transmission,
substation,
and
distribution
infrastructure
in
-
2
vestments
that
would
not
be
placed
in
service
or
required
by
the
public
3
utility
but
for
the
new
large
load.
Such
investments
may
be
directly
as
-
4
signed
or
allocated
in
part
as
may
be
determined
by
the
commission
pur
-
5
suant
to
this
section;
and
6
(c)
The
public
utility's
other
customers
are
protected
against
default
7
by
the
new
large
load
customer.
8
(5)
A
new
large
load
shall
not
change
its
status
as
such
by
means
of
ar
-
9
tifice,
such
as
by
splitting
its
load
among
more
than
one
(1)
electric
ser
-
10
vice
entrance
or
by
adding
additional
connections,
meters,
or
new
service
1
1
entrances
to
serve
an
otherwise
single
entity
or
enterprise.
12
(6)(a)
The
commission
shall
issue
orders
setting
forth
guidance
or
13
other
requirements
necessary
to
implement
the
provisions
of
this
sec
-
14
tion
and
to
provide
reasonable
assurance
that
new
large
loads
will
not
15
cause
the
rates
charged
to
the
public
utility's
other
customers
to
in
-
16
crease.
17
(b)
The
commission
shall
have
the
jurisdiction
to
resolve
all
disputes
18
arising
under
this
section.
19
(7)
Providing
electric
service
pursuant
to
this
section
shall
not
be
20
construed
to:
21
(a)
Be
a
grant
of
preference
or
advantage;
22
(b)
Subject
any
person
or
corporation
to
any
prejudice
or
disadvantage;
23
or
24
(c)
Establish
or
maintain
any
unreasonable
difference
in
rates,
25
charges,
or
services
in
any
respect.
26
SECTION
2.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
27
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
28
July
1,
2026.
29