CEC Staff Call for SoCal Infrastructure Needs Assessment

It’s time to do a comprehensive analysis of electricity infrastructure needs throughout the state and outline it in the California Energy Commission’s 2011 Integrated Energy Policy Report, according to commission staff. During a Nov. 23 IEPR workshop at the commission, Mike Jaske and David Vidaver of the commission’s electricity supply analysis division outlined staff’s view of what’s needed in such an assessment. The two say that the assessment would largely focus on Southern California and the issues associated with retiring old once-through cooling plants, as well as what portion of that capacity needs to be replaced with fossil generation and the constraints on air credits inhibiting development of such facilities. The comprehensive electricity infrastructure needs assessment could attempt to answer questions such as what specific infrastructure elements must the electricity industry put in place, and what complementary infrastructure is needed to satisfy reliability requirements. Vidaver and Jaske added that the Energy Commission needs to work with the California Public Utilities Commission and California Independent System Operator on the issue. “Rather than duplicating analyses being undertaken in the CPUC’s [Long-Term Procurement Plan] rulemaking or the California Independent System Operator forums, staff hopes to make use of the input assumptions being used in these other assessments as well as their results,” Jaske said. Commission staff proposed that it initially prepare a stand-alone document describing study results, then that it be reviewed by the IEPR committee with input from participants through workshops and comments. After that, a revised staff draft document reflecting feedback and new information would be prepared, followed by a draft final version and a final version, which would be adopted by the Energy Commission as part of the 2011 IEPR. The idea of an infrastructure needs assessment isn’t a new one. In the 2009 IEPR, the Energy Commission recommended working in conjunction with other energy agencies to develop a quantitative capability to identify infrastructure needs. However, the 2011 IEPR would be the Energy Commission’s first major step in introducing an infrastructure needs assessment into the IEPR proceeding. The Nov. 23 workshop was an initial step in the IEPR process. Staff and committee workshops and hearings on relevant topics are expected to be held through June 2011 and the draft report’s not expected to be completed until August. The final document, which under state law is required every two years, is expected to be adopted in November 2011, according to commission timetables. The IEPR is mandated under SB 1389, which requires the California Energy Commission to conduct assessments and forecasts of all aspects of the energy industry, including supply, production, distribution, demand, and prices, and then use the information to develop energy policies that “conserve resources, protect the environment, ensure energy reliability, enhance the state’s economy, and protect public health and safety.” The document is supposed to be the blueprint for the state administration and politicians to plot California’s energy future.

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CEC Staff Call for SoCal Infrastructure Needs Assessment

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