Bill > AB1214

This bill adds Section 1103 to the Public Utilities Code to enhance the state's electrical transmission infrastructure to support renewable energy goals. It requires the Independent System Operator (ISO), which manages the state's electricity grid, and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the state's utility regulator, to jointly evaluate transmission facilities that are part of the ISO's most recent transmission plan. The purpose of this evaluation is to identify which of these facilities are necessary to connect eligible renewable energy resources, which are sources of clean energy like solar and wind, to the grid, thereby helping to meet the state's renewable energy targets set by the California renewables portfolio standard program. The bill also mandates that by March 31, 2012, the ISO and PUC will publish a report detailing the timeline for approving, constructing, and putting these identified transmission facilities into service, with a target completion date of December 31, 2016. This report will also analyze any obstacles to these projects and propose solutions, including temporary measures and regulatory changes, to overcome them, with input from transmission project developers. Furthermore, the bill outlines a coordination process where the PUC will provide the ISO with resource scenarios aligned with renewable energy goals, and the ISO will then identify necessary transmission upgrades and alternatives within its planning process, with both agencies cooperating on these alternatives. Finally, the PUC will give significant consideration to applications for transmission facilities that are identified through this ISO planning process.