The California Public Utilities Commission has adopted a new reference portfolio of resources for the state’s electric sector that identifies the need for nearly 25,000 megawatts of additional renewable and storage resources to come online by 2030, including 8,900 MW of new battery storage.
The CPUC on March 26 said the reference portfolio achieves an electric sector greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of 46 million metric tons (MMT) by 2030, which is approximately 56 percent below 1990 levels, outpacing the state’s policy to reduce economy-wide emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
The decision establishes new resource planning guidance for electricity providers (investor-owned utilities, community choice aggregators, and electric service providers) who must develop and submit individual plans to the CPUC for review.
In their plans, electricity providers must demonstrate how they would meet their share of the adopted 46 MMT target, as well as a deeper target of 38 MMT by 2030.
Consistent with the previous integrated resource planning cycle, the decision does not restrict load serving entities from planning for an even deeper target if they choose, the PUC noted.
The adopted reference system portfolio provides general planning direction for how load serving entities and policymakers can achieve these GHG reduction goals at low costs while ensuring electric service reliability.
Once the CPUC receives individual plans from load serving entities later this year, it will compile those portfolios and adopt a Preferred System Portfolio based on either the 46 MMT target or the 38 MMT target.
The proposal voted on is available here.
