Amended in Assembly March 13, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1258

Introduced by Assembly Member Skinner

February 22, 2013

An act to amend Section 2836 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to electricity.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1258, as amended, Skinner. Electricity: hydroelectric facilities.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities and can establish its own procedures, subject to statutory limitations or directions and constitutional requirements of due process.

Existing law requires the PUC to open a new proceeding to determine the appropriate targets, if any, for each load-serving entity to procure viable and cost-effective energy storage systems to be achieved by December 31, 2015, and December 31, 2020.

This bill would require the begin delete commission end delete begin insert PUC, on or before March 1, 2014, end insert to open a new proceeding or expand the scope of an existing proceeding to determine the potential use of begin insert existing end insert hydroelectric facilities and specified pumped storage facilities to provide begin delete energy resources with deliverability characteristics that may include dispatchable baseload, firm, and as-available capacity end delete begin insert additional operational flexibility that could facilitate the integration of renewable resources end insert .

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

It is the intent of the Legislature that load serving
entities maximize the use of existing hydroelectric and pumped
storage facilities for energy storage and renewable energy
integration, subject to constraints required to protect fish, wildlife,
and public safety.

SEC. 2.  

Section 2836 of the Public Utilities Code is amended
to read:

2836.  

(a) (1) On or before March 1, 2012, the commission
shall open a proceeding to determine appropriate targets, if any,
for each load-serving entity to procure viable and cost-effective
energy storage systems to be achieved by December 31, 2015, and
December 31, 2020. As part of this proceeding, the commission
may consider a variety of possible policies to encourage the
cost-effective deployment of energy storage systems, including
refinement of existing procurement methods to properly value
energy storage systems.

(2) The commission shall adopt the procurement targets, if
determined to be appropriate pursuant to paragraph (1), by October
1, 2013.

(3) The commission shall reevaluate the determinations made
pursuant to this subdivision not less than once every three years.

(4) Nothing in this section prohibits the commission’s evaluation
and approval of any application for funding or recovery of costs
of any ongoing or new development, trialing, and testing of energy
storage projects or technologies outside of the proceeding required
by this chapter.

(b) (1) On or before March 1, 2012, the governing board of
each local publicly owned electric utility shall initiate a process
to determine appropriate targets, if any, for the utility to procure
viable and cost-effective energy storage systems to be achieved
by December 31, 2016, and December 31, 2020. As part of this
proceeding, the governing board may consider a variety of possible
policies to encourage the cost-effective deployment of energy
storage systems, including refinement of existing procurement
methods to properly value energy storage systems.

(2) The governing board shall adopt the procurement targets, if
determined to be appropriate pursuant to paragraph (1), by October
1, 2014.

(3) The governing board shall reevaluate the determinations
made pursuant to this subdivision not less than once every three
years.

(c) (1) On or before March 1, 2014, the commission shall open
a new proceeding or expand the scope of an existing proceeding
to determine the potential use of begin insert existing end insert hydroelectric facilities
and pumped storage facilities specified in paragraph (2) to provide begin delete energy resources with deliverability characteristics that may include
dispatchable baseload, firm, and as-available capacity end delete begin insert additional
operational flexibility that could facilitate the integration of
renewable resources end insert .

(2) The pumped storage facilities to which paragraph (1) applies
are the Helms pumped storage facility, the Balsam Meadow
pumped storage facility, the Oroville pumped storage facility, begin insert the
Castaic pumped storage facility, end insert and the San Luis pumped storage
facility.