(1) Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to biennially adopt an integrated energy policy report. Existing law requires the Energy Commission to timely incorporate firm zero-carbon resources into that report, and, for purposes of that requirement, defines "firm zero-carbon resources" as electrical resources that can individually, or in combination, deliver electricity with high availability for the expected duration of multiday extreme or atypical weather events and facilitate integration of eligible renewable energy resources into the electrical grid and the transition to a zero-carbon electrical grid.
This bill would clarify that, for purposes of that requirement, "firm zero-carbon resources" are those electrical resources described above that deliver zero-carbon electricity.
Existing law creates the Demand Side Grid Support Program, and requires the Energy Commission to implement and administer the program to incentivize dispatchable customer load reduction and backup generation operation as on-call emergency supply and load reduction for the state's electrical grid during extreme events. Existing law requires entities with generation or load reduction assets that are incentivized pursuant to the Distributed Electricity Backup Assets Program to participate in the program, and requires all energy produced as a result of the program to be settled at a relevant reference energy price.
This bill would delete the requirements that those entities participate in the program and the produced energy be settled at a relevant reference energy price.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Water Resources to construct, own and operate, or contract for the construction and operation of, contract for the purchase of electricity from, or finance through loans, reimbursement agreements, or other contracts actions to secure resources for summer reliability or to preserve the option to extend the life of specified facilities. Existing law requires the department, from October 31, 2022, to October 31, 2026, inclusive, to submit applications for certification to the Energy Commission for sites on which those facilities are located, as specified. Existing law requires the department, beginning on January 31, 2023, and on May 1, August 1, and December 1 annually thereafter, to issue a written report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee detailing certain actions undertaken by the department in the period since the previous report, as specified.
This bill would require the department to issue that report in consultation with the Energy Commission and require that report to also detail certain actions undertaken by the Energy Commission, as specified.
(2) Existing law prohibits an electrical corporation from beginning the construction of, among other things, a line, plant, or system, or of any extension thereof, without having first obtained from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) a certificate that the present or future public convenience and necessity require or will require that construction. Under existing law, the extension, expansion, upgrade, or other modification of an existing electrical transmission facility, including transmission lines and substations, does not require a certificate that the present or future public convenience and necessity requires or will require its construction.
This bill would require the PUC, in a proceeding evaluating the issuance of a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a proposed transmission project, to establish a rebuttable presumption with regard to need for the proposed transmission project in favor of an Independent System Operator governing board-approved need evaluation if specified requirements are satisfied.
(3) Existing law requires the PUC to convene or continue, until August 26, 2025, an independent peer review panel to conduct an independent review of enhanced seismic studies and surveys of the Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2 powerplant, as specified. Existing law also establishes the Independent Safety Committee for Diablo Canyon until, at least, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission operating permit for the Diablo Canyon powerplant has ceased.
This bill would extend that requirement on the PUC until August 26, 2030. The bill would require that the Independent Safety Committee for Diablo Canyon continue until the Diablo Canyon powerplant has ceased operations and make other changes related to that committee.
(4) Under existing law it is the policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 90% of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers by December 31, 2035, 95% of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers by December 31, 2040, 100% of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers by December 31, 2045, and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2035, as specified. Existing law requires the PUC, the Energy Commission, and the State Air Resources Board to issue a joint report to the Legislature by January 1, 2021, and every 4 years thereafter, that includes specified information relating to the implementation of that state policy, and, on or before December 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, to issue a joint reliability progress report that reviews system and local reliability within the context of that state policy, as specified.
Existing law requires the PUC, in coordination with the Energy Commission, the Independent System Operator, and the Department of Water Resources, to submit a report to the Legislature each year on the status of new resource additions and revisions to the state's electric demand forecast and the impact of these updates on the need for keeping the Diablo Canyon powerplant online.
This bill would recodify and reorganize the above reporting requirements.
(5) Existing law requires the PUC, by February 1 of each year, to report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature on all sources and amounts of funding and actual and proposed expenditures related to entities or programs established by the PUC, as specified.
This bill would require the PUC, upon an entity described above ceasing operations, or a program described above ending, because its activities have concluded, to continue reporting on the entity or program for the subsequent 2 fiscal years, and, following those subsequent 2 fiscal years, would require the PUC to note in the report described above which entity ceased operations or which program ended and would relieve the commission of future reporting obligations related to the entity or program.
(6) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Diablo Canyon powerplant.
(7) Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime.
Because certain of the above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a PUC action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
(8) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Statutes affected:
AB1533: 353.2 PUC, 1002.3 PUC
02/17/23 - Introduced: 353.2 PUC, 1002.3 PUC
04/13/23 - Amended Assembly: 25305.5 PRC, 25792 PRC, 454.53 PUC, 712 PUC, 712.1 PUC, 712.8 PUC, 910.4 PUC, 80710 WAT, 353.2 PUC, 1002.3 PUC
05/01/23 - Amended Assembly: 25305.5 PRC, 25792 PRC, 454.53 PUC, 712 PUC, 712.1 PUC, 712.8 PUC, 910.4 PUC, 80710 WAT
05/25/23 - Amended Assembly: 25305.5 PRC, 25792 PRC, 25795 PRC, 454.53 PUC, 712 PUC, 712.1 PUC, 712.8 PUC, 910.4 PUC, 80710 WAT, 80730 WAT
AB 1533: 353.2 PUC, 1002.3 PUC