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

California Senate Bill 836 (Prior Session Legislation)

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-Chaptered.html

BILL NUMBER: SB 836	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	CHAPTER  600
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  OCTOBER 8, 2011
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  OCTOBER 8, 2011
	PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 30, 2011
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 25, 2011
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JULY 13, 2011
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 29, 2011
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MARCH 24, 2011

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Padilla

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2011

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



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 836, 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 (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 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, as specified.


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 goal
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) In 2011, the Legislature extended the California Renewables
Portfolio Standard Program target set for 2010 to a 33 percent
standard by December 31, 2020.
   (d) To meet the procurement targets of the California 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.
   (e) The costs of electricity procurement contracts and
utility-owned generation have been submitted to the Public Utilities
Commission for review and approval.
   (f) Those costs are directly passed through to the ratepayers of
electrical corporations, but are unknown to the public and the
Legislature.
   (g) 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 911 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
read:
   911.  (a) Notwithstanding subdivision (g) of Section 454.5 and
Section 583, no later than 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. 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
procurement transaction was approved by the commission, the eligible
renewable energy resource type, including bundled 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.
   (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.