IID Opposes CAISO Reorganization Bid
During its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, July 12, 2016, IID board members voted unanimously to adopt a resolution opposing a bid by the California Independent System Operator to become a multi-state regional transmission organization.
The proposal comes on the heels of Senate Bill 350, which was signed into law last fall mandating that state utilities achieve a 50-percent renewable portfolio standard by 2030. It also provides CAISO with a framework that allows for the creation of a multi-state regional transmission organization.
CAISO is required to perform a series of studies analyzing the impacts of a regional transmission organization, hold public workshops with all stakeholders and submit all required documents detailing the proposed governance modifications to the governor by Dec. 31, 2017.
“The proposed changes will dramatically impact the energy landscape of California and the western region—ratepayers deserve a transparent and open process prior to the adoption of any of these changes,” said IID board President Norma Sierra Galindo. “We are troubled by the speed with which this proposal is moving forward and more importantly with the undisclosed methodology used in the studies.”
Concerned that CAISO has not made public the modeling and underlying assumptions used to produce its numerous studies, the district recently filed a complaint against the agency in California Superior Court to require that it comply with the law and provide full public disclosure.
IID’s service area, which spans both Imperial and Riverside counties, is home to an impressive array of untapped renewable energy resources. Amongst them are more than 1,700 megawatts of geothermal and thousands of megawatts of solar, wind and biomass resources….
