Virtual Public Workshop and Q&A Session Scheduled
Sacramento – The Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety (Energy Safety) today released draft guidelines for California’s large electrical corporations to follow in submission of 10-year undergrounding plans. Release of the draft guidelines initiates a 30-day public comment period. Energy Safety will hold a virtual public workshop on May 15, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and a follow-up question and answer session on May 22 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Senate Bill 884, (McGuire, 2022), allows a large electrical corporation (250,000 customers or more) to voluntarily submit a 10-year distribution infrastructure undergrounding plan to Energy Safety for approval. If Energy Safety approves a plan, the electrical corporation then files an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for conditional approval of the plan’s costs.
An electrical corporation’s plan is required to compare the costs and benefits of undergrounding to alternative system hardening and risk mitigation measures, projects must be within high fire threat districts and rebuild areas, and it must be demonstrated that the 10-year plan substantially decreases wildfire risk and substantially increases reliability.
Information and instructions on submitting written comments through the e-filing system can be found in the Energy Safety E-Filing System User Guide on Energy Safety’s website at External EFiling User Guide March 2024 (ca.gov).