CPUC Resource Adequacy Action to Have Little Impact on CCAs

Community choice aggregation programs won’t be hampered or delayed in forming anew or expanding in the wake of a California Public Utilities Commission action last week.

That’s according to Beth Vaughn, California Community Choice Association executive director.

Vaughn predicted that up to twelve new community choice programs will be launched this year, including the two that began operating earlier this month in Los Angeles and Placer Counties. She said other programs can be expected to expand.

The executive director noted that while an initial resolution introduced at the CPUC regarding resource adequacy had the potential to significantly delay the advance of community choice, modifications will allow programs to continue to form.

Vaughn said the resolution as adopted by the CPUC offers a waiver for choice organizations and outlines a process under which community choice programs will be able to negotiate a price for reassigning resource adequacy contracts currently held by utilities to choice organizations. A second option under the resolution will be for the resource adequacy to be automatically reassigned from utilities to new or expanding choice organizations at a price to be determined in an upcoming commission proceeding.

These processes, Vaughn explained, will prevent duplication of resource adequacy.

“The amended resolution,” stated Woody Hastings, Center for Climate Protection renewable energy implementation manager, “is intended to facilitate an orderly transition to CCA service, ensuring that over-procurement of Resource Adequacy does not occur.”

So far this year, Los Angeles County’s choice program, the Clean Power Alliance of Southern California, became operational Feb. 1, as did Pioneer Community Energy in Placer County.

Pioneer serves unincorporated areas of Placer County and the cities of Rocklin, Lincoln, Auburn, Colfax, and the town of Loomis.

Among additional choice organizations expected to begin operating this year, according to the Community Choice Association, are Monterey Bay Clean Power and East Bay Community Energy. It will serve 11 cities across Alameda County, including Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Piedmont, San Leandro, and Union City. —William J. Kelly

Over 11K Stories!

| Independently Powered Energy News

CPUC Resource Adequacy Action to Have Little Impact on CCAs

William J. Kelly

Related Posts

Op-Ed: Before and After Net Energy Metering 3, A Thought Experiment

Auld Lang Zine

Air Regulators 2022 Scoping Plan to Slash Emissions is a Go

The Buzz