(a) The commission shall establish an expedited utility distribution infrastructure undergrounding program consistent with this section. (b) Only a large electrical corporation may participate in the program. (c) In order to participate in the program, a large electrical corporation shall submit to the office a distribution infrastructure undergrounding plan that shall address or include, at minimum, all of the following components: (1) A 10-year plan for undergrounding distribution infrastructure. (2) Identification of the undergrounding projects that will be constructed as part of the program, including a means of prioritizing undergrounding projects based on wildfire risk reduction, public safety, cost efficiency, and reliability benefits. Only undergrounding projects located in tier 2 or 3 high fire-threat districts or rebuild areas may be considered and constructed as part of the program. (3) Timelines for the completion of identified and prioritized undergrounding projects, and unit cost targets and mileage completion targets for each year covered by the plan. (4) A comparison of undergrounding versus aboveground hardening of electrical infrastructure and wildfire mitigation for achieving comparable risk reduction, or any other alternative mitigation strategy, such as covered conductor and rapid earth fault current limiter devices, for those prioritized undergrounding projects, evaluating the scope, cost, extent, and risk reduction of each activity, separately and collectively, over the duration of the plan. The comparison shall emphasize risk reduction and include an analysis of the cost of each activity for reducing wildfire risk, separately and collectively, over the duration of the plan. (5) A plan for utility and contractor workforce development. (6) An evaluation of project costs, projected economic benefits over the life of the assets, and any cost containment assumptions, including the economies of scale necessary to reduce wildfire risk and mitigation costs and establish a sustainable supply chain. (d) Upon a large electrical corporation submitting a plan to the office, the office shall do both of the following: (1) Publish the plan for public comment. (2) Within nine months, review and approve or deny the plan. The office may only approve the plan if the large electrical corporation has shown that the plan will substantially increase electrical reliability by reducing the use of public safety power shut off, enhanced powerline safety settings, deenergization events, and any other outage programs, and substantially reduce the risk of wildfire. Before approving the plan, the office may require the large electrical corporation to modify the plan or to modify and resubmit the plan. (e) (1) Upon the office approving a plan pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d), the large electrical corporation shall, within 60 days, submit to the commission a copy of the plan and an application requesting review and conditional approval of the planâs costs and including all of the following: (A) Any substantial improvements in safety risk and reduction in costs compared to other hardening and risk mitigation measures over the duration of the plan. (B) The cost targets, at a minimum, that result in feasible and attainable cost reductions as compared to the large electrical corporationâs historical undergrounding costs. (C) How the cost targets are expected to decline over time due to cost efficiencies and economies of scale. (D) A strategy for achieving cost reductions over time. (2) The assigned commissioner may waive the requirements of subdivisions (b), (d), (f), and (i) of Section 1701.3 for an application submitted to the commission pursuant to paragraph (1). (3) In reviewing an application submitted to the commission pursuant to paragraph (1), the commission shall consider not revisiting cost or mileage completion targets approved, or pending approval, in the electrical corporationâs general rate case or a commissi
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