Energization

Ordering Instituting Rulemaking to Establish Energization Timelines

In January 2024, the Commission opened a rulemaking proceeding (R.24-01-018) to implement provisions of Assembly Bill (AB) 50 (Wood, 2023), and Senate Bill (SB) 410 (Becker, 2023) related to the Commission’s development of average and maximum target energization timelines, and a procedure for customers to report energization delays to the Commission.

The proceeding focuses on completing the following actions that the Commission must take by September 30, 2024:  

• Establish reasonable average and maximum target energization time periods (P.U. Code Section 934(a)(1)) 

• Establish a procedure for customers to report energization delays to the Commission (P.U. Code Section 934(a)(2))

Additionally, the proceeding will address actions directed by AB 50 and SB 410 for the Commission to take that include, but are not limited to, the following:  

• Determining the criteria for timely service for electric customers to be energized (Section 933.5(a)), and for upgraded electric customer service (Section 933.5(d)).  
• Establishing annual reporting requirements on customer energization for the electrical corporations to be used to evaluate the electrical corporations’ fulfillment of timely electric service (Section 933.5(a)(2)(A)).  
• Annually convening a public workshop for the electrical corporations to discuss their reports with interested parties and experts in customer energization (Section 933.5(a)(3)).  
• Providing a forum for docketing of electrical corporation reports on energization and consideration of actions to take in light of those reports (Sections 933.5(b), 933.5(d), and 934(d)).  

On February 2, 2024, Energy Division staff hosted a workshop to discuss issues pertaining to the development of reasonable average and maximum energization timing targets and the process for customers to report energization delays to the Commission. On February 6, 2024, ALJ Sisto and ALJ Van Dyken issued a ruling incorporating the questions presented in the February 2 workshop and the recording of the workshop into the proceeding record. 

A link to the February 6 ruling, with instruction on how to access the workshop recording can be found here.

A link to the PowerPoint presentations can be found here.

On September 12, 2024, the CPUC approved a proposal to set new energization targets and timelines for the three large electric investor-owned utilities to complete steps in the energization process that they control.

The Commission anticipates addressing outstanding issues that were not address in Phase 1 of the proceeding within a second phase. Though still subject to change, the Scoping Memo for the Phase 1 Energization Proceeding listed the following preliminary issues that may be addressed in Phase 2. The preliminary issues, subject to being modified in the Phase 2 Scoping Memo, include:

• How could data collected about the utilities’ energization timelines and the associated customer energization delay reporting process be utilized to improve existing timelines? 
• How could energization timelines better align across utilities, end-use project-types, and/or technology type? 
• What, if any, additional actions beyond compliance with SB 410 and AB 50, should be implemented to improve energization timelines, processes, or tariffs? 
• What actions can expedite energization projects, including when upstream capacity upgrades are necessary? 
• What additional actions are necessary for implementation of SB 410 and Ab 50? 
• What potential impacts on environmental and social justice communities should be considered or prioritized in the improvement of energization timelines and reporting processes to align with the Commission’s Environmental and Social Justice Action Plan?  

The Commission anticipates starting Phase 2 of the Energization proceeding in 2025.

Energization Phase 1 Decision

In September 2024, the Commission adopted D.24.09.020 which established timelines for energization requests and a procedure for customers to report energization delays to the Commission. This decision addresses SB 410 (Becker, Chapter 394, Statues of 2023) and AB 50 (Wood, Chapter 317, Statutes of 2023), including, but not limited to, adopting criteria for timely service, setting biannual reporting requirements for IOUs, and convening a public workshop to discuss the large IOU submission of first biannual data collection.

For more details, see D.24-07-012 fact sheet.