Load-serving entities: resource adequacy requirements.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires the commission, in consultation with the Independent System Operator, to establish resource adequacy requirements for all load-serving entities, as provided. Existing law defines load-serving entity, for that purpose, as an electrical corporation, electric service provider, or community choice aggregator. Existing law requires each load-serving entity to be subject to the same requirements for resource adequacy, the renewables portfolio standard program, and the integrated resource planning process that apply to electrical corporations, as provided. This bill would require the commission to authorize a load-serving entity to elect to demonstrate compliance with resource adequacy requirements by selling to, or otherwise making transactions with, another load-serving entity, and would require those transactions to not represent more than 25% of a load-serving entity's compliance obligations and be of a short-term duration. The bill would require the commission to authorize those transactions to be denominated in the same unit of time used to denominate resource adequacy compliance requirements. The bill would authorize the commission to suspend or adjust that authority of a load-serving entity to sell to, or otherwise make transactions with, another load-serving entity, as specified. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the above provisions would be a part of the act, and because a violation of a commission action implementing the above prohibition 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.