Calif. PUC Adopts Order Expanding Direct Access Cap, Delays Start
May 30,2019
The California PUC today voted to adopt an order addressing various facets of the statutory increase in direct access (DA) load of 4,000 gigawatt-hours
The PUC is apportioning the new DA load over two years using the 2019 and 2020 waitlists. Under the decision, 2,000 GWh of the DA expansion is to be enrolled using the 2019 wait list, and the remaining 2,000 GWh is to be enrolled using the 2020 waitlist.
The PUC apportioned the new DA load to the three large investor-owned utilities as follows (in kWh):
Existing Cap Expanded Cap
PG&E 9,520,000,000 11,393,225,285
SCE 11,710,000,000 13,456,866,759
SDG&E 3,562,000,000 3,941,907,956
A written order confirming the PUC's direction on various issues, including start date and the resource adequacy (RA) process, was not immediately available. A link to an agenda decision from the PUC's agenda did not return a document. Commissioners described a 'revised' decision during the meeting, but no copy of a revision versus the original proposed order was available
However, during the meeting, PUC President Michael Picker said that, under the decision, 2019 wait list customers, unless they can meet pre-existing RA deadlines under Decision 18-06-030, must wait until Jan. 1, 2021 to take direct access service.
This is apparently a departure from the initially proposed draft decision, which would have provided a one-time exception from the requirements in D.18-06-030 which requires that LSEs must submit the 2020 year-ahead load forecast on April 16, 2019.
The original proposal would have allowed 2019 waitlist customers to take DA service on July 1, 2020
This is a breaking news story, and is based on discussion among Commissioners. An update will follow once a written order is issued