| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a study by the Public Utility Commission of Texas |
|
|
regarding grid resilience and emergency response in electric power |
|
|
generation. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "commission" means the |
|
|
Public Utility Commission of Texas. |
|
|
SECTION 2. GRID RESILIENCE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE STUDY. |
|
|
(a) The commission shall conduct a study on electric grid |
|
|
resilience and emergency response in electric power generation. |
|
|
(b) The study conducted under this section must include: |
|
|
(1) an analysis of: |
|
|
(A) technologies, methods, and concepts that may |
|
|
improve community resilience to frequent or long-duration power |
|
|
outages; |
|
|
(B) upgrades and improvements to grid |
|
|
infrastructure to accommodate projected changes in power demand; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(C) previous long-duration power outages that |
|
|
occurred over a large area to identify common elements and best |
|
|
practices for electricity restoration and the mitigation and |
|
|
prevention of future outages; and |
|
|
(2) the development of: |
|
|
(A) methods to improve government and community |
|
|
preparation for long-duration power outages and power outages that |
|
|
occur over a large area; |
|
|
(B) tools to help electric utilities ensure |
|
|
continuous delivery of electricity to emergency facilities; |
|
|
(C) tools to improve coordination between the |
|
|
independent organization certified under Section 39.151, Utilities |
|
|
Code, for the ERCOT power region, entities that distribute electric |
|
|
energy, and political subdivisions; |
|
|
(D) technologies and capabilities to withstand |
|
|
and address the current and predicted effect of extreme weather |
|
|
events and other natural disasters, including the effect of the |
|
|
changing climate on electric grid infrastructure; |
|
|
(E) methods to improve information sharing |
|
|
between relevant federal and state agencies in the event of a mass |
|
|
power outage, or a physical or cyber attack on electric |
|
|
infrastructure; |
|
|
(F) advance monitoring, analytics, operation, |
|
|
and controls of electric grid systems to improve electric grid |
|
|
resilience; |
|
|
(G) methods to maintain cybersecurity during |
|
|
restoration of electric grid infrastructure and operation; and |
|
|
(H) methods to strengthen against or otherwise |
|
|
mitigate adverse effects on electric grid infrastructure from |
|
|
natural hazards. |
|
|
(c) In conducting the study, the commission may collaborate |
|
|
with other state agencies, institutions of higher education, |
|
|
nonprofit corporations, electric utilities, and other interested |
|
|
persons. |
|
|
SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than September 1, 2022, the |
|
|
commission shall report the results of the study conducted under |
|
|
this Act and any recommendations to the legislature. The report |
|
|
must include any statutory changes necessary to implement the |
|
|
recommendations made in the report. |
|
|
SECTION 4. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS. The commission may |
|
|
initiate a demonstration project to prove the effectiveness of a |
|
|
concept, technology, strategy, practice, or method related to any |
|
|
topic of the study conducted under this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 5. EXPIRATION. This Act expires December 31, 2022. |
|
|
SECTION 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September |
|
|
1, 2021. |