AB 2518: San Diego Gas and Electric Company: energization pilot program.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires each public utility to furnish and maintain adequate, efficient, just, and reasonable service, instrumentalities, equipment, and facilities, as are necessary to promote the safety, health, comfort, and convenience of its patrons, employees, and the public. Existing law prohibits a public utility from making or granting any preference or advantage to any corporation or person, as provided.

This bill would require, until January 1, 2032, San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDGE) to energize an affordable housing development project within 40 business days from the date on which SDGE determines the project to be construction ready, as defined, and to prioritize the energization of affordable housing development projects over other residential energization projects under specified circumstances, construction-ready projects within specified timeframes, as provided.

Existing law requires the commission to establish annual reporting requirements for electrical corporations to report customer energization projects in order to evaluate the electrical corporations fulfillment of timely electrical service. Existing law requires the commission to require each electrical corporation to retain an independent third-party auditor to review the electrical corporations business practices and procedures for energizing new customers and how the electrical corporation is planning for demand growth, including new customer energizations. Existing law requires the third-party auditor to report to the commission on a biannual basis.

This bill would require, only until January 1, 2032, reporting on the energization of affordable housing development those construction-ready projects to be included in SDGEs biannual energization reporting submitted to the commission.

Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.

Because the provisions of the bill would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing the bills requirements would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.