California regulators have commenced a rulemaking to address the integrated resource planning requirements for load-serving entities created by S.B. 350 of 2015. The new proceeding will act as a successor to the ongoing long-term procurement planning (LTPP) proceeding, which is expected to conclude shortly. The California Public Utilities Commission has mapped out the general issues the new proceeding will address. They include:
- The impacts of S.B. 350 on future procurement needs, including the state’s 50% RPS and greenhouse gas emissions limits.
- The development of a process for LSEs to file IRPs.
- The development and refinement of procurement rules for all LSEs that have not historically submitted LTPPs, as well as cost allocation and competitive issues between investor-owned utilities and other LSEs.
- If necessary, a review and update of individual IOUs’ bundled procurement plans.
The proceeding will also address several IRP implementation issues, including:
- Whether planning will occur on a system basis and/or by individual LSEs.
- Who will perform the associated modeling and analysis to determine needs.
- The procurement process structure.
- The relationship to existing state cap-and-trade regulations.
- Policy details regarding frequency, timing, required content, compliance and enforcement.
- Whether and how to coordinate with the California Energy Commission’s similar responsibilities with respect to publicly-owned utilities.