Prioritization of Policy-Driven Transmission Projects Proposal

Overview

In order to meet California’s climate change goals, we need to build more transmission to connect renewable generation to load centers. In CAISO’s 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 Transmission Plans, 27 policy-driven projects (i.e., transmission projects to help integrate renewable generation) were approved out of a total of 67 approved projects. With limited resources, staffing and materials, and with the increasing number of transmission projects approved and needed to meet our climate change goals, it is advantageous to provide a separate track for policy-driven projects that allows them to be prioritized against each other, planned, permitted, and constructed.

Our Prioritization of Policy-Driven Transmission Projects Proposal is an alternative to the current CPUC permitting process. The Proposal complies with the intent of Senate Bill 529 and expedites the planning and permitting of transmission projects needed to bring renewable generation on the grid, while complying with state regulations, including environmental and transmission permitting rules. The Proposal will list, in order, the highest to lowest priority policy-driven transmission projects based on the most amount of renewables unlocked at the lowest cost with minimal land-use impacts. In addition, this proposal can be developed and implemented in the current Commission GO 131-D Rulemaking.  

Download: Prioritization of Policy-Driven Transmission Projects Proposal Slide Deck