Electric utilities; certificate of operation for high-load facilities.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how existing facilities will be affected after January 1, 2027.

Electric Utilities; Certificate of Operation for High-Load Facilities

This bill requires electric utilities to obtain a certificate from the State Corporation Commission before operating new high-load facilities that use more than 25 megawatts of electricity after January 1, 2027.

What This Bill Does

• Requires any person who wants to operate a high-load facility after January 1, 2027, to first obtain a certificate of operation from the State Corporation Commission.
• Defines a high-load facility as one that uses more than 25 megawatts of electricity and was not operating before July 1, 2026.
• Includes factors for the Commission to consider when reviewing a petition to operate a high-load facility, such as energy storage contracts or zero-carbon resources.
• Establishes a presumption that certain requirements are met if the facility has secured enough contracts for energy storage or zero-carbon resources, or has plans to reduce demand.

Who It Names or Affects

• Electric utilities
• People who want to operate high-load facilities after January 1, 2027

Terms To Know

High-Load Facility

A facility that uses more than 25 megawatts of electricity and was not operating before July 1, 2026.

Certificate of Operation

A document issued by the State Corporation Commission allowing a high-load facility to operate.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a certificate is denied.
• It's unclear how existing facilities will be affected after January 1, 2027.
• The exact criteria for the State Corporation Commission to issue certificates are not detailed.

Official Summary Text

Electric utilities; certificate of operation for high-load facilities.
Prohibits any person from operating a high-load facility, defined in the bill as a facility whose electricity demand exceeds 25 megawatts that was not operating before July 1, 2026, without first having obtained a certificate of operation from the State Corporation Commission. The bill includes factors for the Commission to consider in reviewing a petition to operate a high-load facility. The bill establishes a presumption that a high-load facility shall be considered to have met certain requirements if the high-load facility has secured sufficient contracts for energy storage resources or zero-carbon electric generating resources or that the high-load facility has a plan to implement sufficient demand reduction measures. The bill also requires the Commission to consider certain factors in a review of a petition for a certificate to operate a high-load facility, including whether there is sufficient energy, capacity, and grid infrastructure to support the operation of the high-load facility and whether the operation of the high-load facility would create an unreasonable cross-subsidy across customers served by the incumbent electric utility.

Current Bill Text

HB 155

LABOR AND COMMERCE

1. Line 15, introduced, after
to

strike

July 1, 2026

insert

January 1, 2027

LABOR AND COMMERCE

2. Line 26, introduced, after
B

strike

3

insert

2

LABOR AND COMMERCE

3. Line 43, introduced, after
B

strike

3

insert

2