Bill Text: CA SB836 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Bill 836 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Renewable energy resources: cost reporting.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2011-10-08 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 600, Statutes of 2011. [SB836 Detail]

Download: California-2011-SB836-Amended.html

BILL NUMBER: SB 836	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 29, 2011
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MARCH 24, 2011

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Padilla

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2011

   An act to add Section  399.24   911  to
the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 836, as amended, Padilla. Renewable energy resources: cost
reporting.
   Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory
authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations,
as defined. The California  renewables portfolio standard
program   Renewables Portfolio Standard Program 
(RPS program) requires the commission to implement annual procurement
targets for the procurement of eligible renewable energy resources,
as defined, for all retail sellers, as defined, to achieve the
targets and goals of the program.
   This bill would, by no later than  January  
February  1, 2012,  and annually thereafter,  require
the commission to release to the Legislature the costs of all
electricity procurement contracts for eligible renewable energy
resources  , as specified,  and all costs for utility-owned
generation approved by the commission  since January 1, 2003.
The bill would, beginning July 1, 2012, and every 6 months
thereafter, require that the commission to release data to the
Legislature for costs approved during the prior 6 months 
 , as specified  .
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) In 2002, the Legislature mandated that electrical corporations
procure 20 percent of total retail sales of electricity in
California from eligible renewable energy resources by December 31,
2017.
   (b) In 2006, the Legislature accelerated and broadened this
mandate to require that all retail sellers procure 20 percent of
total retail sales of electricity in California from eligible
renewable energy resources by December 31, 2010.
   (c) To meet the procurement targets of the California 
renewables portfolio standard program   Renewables
Portfolio Standard Program  , electrical corporations have
entered into hundreds of contracts with independent producers of
eligible renewable energy resources and also built utility-owned
generation.
   (d) The costs of electricity procurement contracts and
utility-owned generation have been submitted to the Public Utilities
Commission for review and approval.
   (e) Those costs are directly passed through to the ratepayers of
electrical corporations, but are unknown to the public and the
Legislature.
   (f) In order to ensure that the public and the Legislature are
aware of the costs of eligible renewable energy resources, this
measure requires the commission to release those costs, in the
aggregate, to the Legislature on a regular basis.
  SEC. 2.  Section  399.24   911  is added
to the Public Utilities Code, to read:
    399.24.   911.   (a) Notwithstanding
subdivision (g) of Section 454 and Section 583, no later than
 January 31, 2012,   February 1, 2012, and
annually thereafter,  the commission shall release to the
Legislature the costs of all electricity procurement contracts for
eligible renewable energy resources  , including unbundled 
 renewable energy credits,  and all costs for utility-owned
generation approved by the  commission since January 1, 2003.
The data shall be released in the aggregate, but shall be 
 commission. The first report shall include all costs commencing
January 1, 2003. Subsequent reports shall include only costs for the
preceding calendar year. 
    (1)     For power purchase contracts, the
commission shall release costs in an aggregated form 
categorized according to the year the  cost  
procurement transaction  was approved by the commission, the
eligible renewable energy resource type,  the kilowatthour
cost, and whether the approval was limited to renewable energy
credits. 
    (b)     Commencing July
31, 2012, and every six months thereafter, the commission shall
release data to the Legislature for costs approved during the prior
six months.   including renewable energy credits, the
average executed contract price, and average actual recorded costs
for each kilowatthour of production. Within each renewable energy
resource type, the commission shall provide   aggregated
costs for different project size thresholds.  
    (2) For each utility-owned renewable generation project, the
commission shall release the costs forecast by the electrical
corporation at the time of initial approval and the actual recorded
costs for each kilowatthour of production during the preceding
calendar year.  
   (c) 
    (b)  This section does not require the release of the
terms of any individual electricity procurement contracts for
eligible renewable energy resources  , including  
unbundled renewable energy credits,  approved by the commission.
 The commission shall aggregate data to the extent required to
ensure protection of the confidentiality of individual contract costs
even if this aggregation requires grouping contracts of different
energy resource type. The commission shall not be required to release
the data in any year when there are fewer than three contracts
approved.  
    (c) The commission may combine the information required by this
section with the report prepared pursuant to Section 910, as added by
Chapter 1 of the First Extraordinary Session of the Statutes of
2011.