California § 12100.111 - The Transmission Infrastructure Accelerator established pursuant to Section 12100

§ 12100.111. The Transmission Infrastructure Accelerator established pursuant to Section 12100

(a) The Transmission Infrastructure Accelerator established pursuant to Section 12100.110 shall coordinate, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this section but no later than December 31, 2026, the state’s ongoing activities related to transmission planning and development, in order to minimize duplicative efforts and efficiently achieve the objectives of this section and Article 10.5 (commencing with Section 63049.71) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of Title 6.7. The accelerator shall sequence its activities in identifying and developing eligible transmission projects in a manner consistent with the Independent System Operator’s procedures and requirements and shall provide maximum transparency. Core objectives of the accelerator shall be to drive efficiencies in state transmission development efforts, coordinate existing workstreams to maximize effectiveness, and minimize duplicative activity across all relevant venues. (b) The accelerator shall ensure that the accelerator projects meet the following criteria: (1) Have at least one interconnection point within the Independent System Operator balancing authority area. (2) The applicant or its affiliates have previously completed a transmission project in the state. (3) Support new high voltage transmission facilities that are subject to the competitive solicitation process administered by the Independent System Operator that are consistent with the state’s reliability and greenhouse gas policy objectives. (4) Reduce its cost recovery requests by the amount of savings achieved through tax credits received under Sections 17039 and 23036 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. (5) Commit to requesting a revenue requirement at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that reflects only its actual capital structure and the actual cost of capital to minimize the costs collected through the transmission access charge. (6) Financial considerations, as determined by the accelerator. (7) Consistency with state policy as determined by the state agencies coordinating with the accelerator. (c) The accelerator shall evaluate the results of the Independent System Operator’s transmission planning process and shall select which accelerator projects have the opportunity to receive public financing using the California Transmission Accelerator Revolving Fund established under Article 10.5 (commencing with Section 63049.71) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of Title 6.7. The selection of accelerator projects under this section shall happen within 60 days of the release of the Independent System Operator’s Transmission Planning Process document that identifies competitive transmission projects. (d) The accelerator shall maintain a list of qualified public entities interested in participating in eligible transmission projects. (e) The accelerator shall continuously monitor project development performance and engage to support effective implementation using all appropriate powers and authorities available to the accelerator and coordinating agencies. These actions may include, but are not limited to, all of the following: (1) Engaging local public and private actors relevant to project development success. (2) Supporting efforts of the project applicant to secure necessary permits and other relevant authorities. (3) Leveraging state incentives and supply chain facilitation services to ensure timely and cost-effective acquisition of physical components of the project. (f) For purposes of this section, the definitions in Section 63049.71 shall apply.