Electricity: interconnections.

Assembly Member Irwin, with coauthors Archuleta and Stern, advances a measure that treats surplus interconnection service as a planning and sharing opportunity for the state's electric system, embedding it into long‑term planning and increasing transparency around available interconnection capacity. The central change is to require formal consideration of surplus interconnection service in system planning and to empower utilities to use unused interconnection capacity where feasible, including at fossil-fuel plants to add renewables or storage.

The bill directs the Independent System Operator to integrate surplus interconnection service considerations into its long‑term transmission planning and to enhance transparency around surplus interconnection service opportunities, including efforts to maximize the adoption of federal investment and production tax credits. It defines surplus interconnection service as any unneeded portion of interconnection capacity established in a large generator interconnection agreement such that using it would not change the total capacity at the interconnection point. It also preserves open meeting and public‑records provisions to ensure public access and oversight of ISO actions.

The proposal broadens integrated resource planning requirements for load‑serving entities and, for local publicly owned utilities with substantial annual demand, to address surplus interconnection service within their planning processes. Specifically, electrical corporations and locally owned utilities would be required to evaluate and consider surplus interconnection service options within their integrated resource plans, and to use available grid infrastructure through surplus interconnection service to tap any available interconnection capacity where feasible. In addition, the plan framework would continue to emphasize a diversified resource portfolio, reliability, and cost considerations, with explicit alignment to greenhouse gas reduction targets, renewable energy procurement goals, and resource adequacy obligations.

A new chapter adds definitions and duties related to surplus interconnection service, establishing that electrical corporations and local publicly owned electric utilities shall use surplus interconnection service to utilize any available interconnection capacity when feasible. The chapter also requires these utilities to address surplus interconnection service in their integrated resource plans and to observe notice and public‑disclosure requirements when considering plan updates. The bill contemplates a state‑mandated local program associated with these duties and includes a framework for how such planning and implementation would interact with existing utility regulatory processes.