The New York State Public Service Commission has begun a proceeding to evaluate new energy loads from transportation and building electrification to proactively identify and develop future grid infrastructure requirements.
Under the proceeding, the Commission will direct New York's investor-owned utilities to develop a framework to proactively plan for infrastructure needs driven by transportation and building electrification, and to determine reporting of existing urgent infrastructure needs.
“The Commission is establishing a statewide, collaborative planning framework to ensure that the utilities are ready to support New Yorkers who are increasingly choosing electric vehicles and heating for their homes, business and transportation needs,” said Commission Chair, Rory M. Christian. “The purpose of this effort is to identify timely electric grid upgrades to support electrification across a number of sectors of the economy.”
The new planning framework directed by the Commission is designed to proactively identify grid infrastructure needs to ensure the utilities expand the system in the most cost effective and timely manner. It will also ensure that the utilities leverage shared, best-in-class information and techniques to help each utility in coordinating across geographies and service territories.
The more granular and local load forecasting process developed in the proactive planning framework will complement and integrate with the newly established Coordinated Grid Planning Process (CGPP), resulting in a more efficient integrated resource plan for the state’s transmission and distribution systems. By combining granular electric vehicle (EV) planning with the CGPP, the Commission will evaluate the totality of upgrades required to meet the clean energy and greenhouse gas emission targets in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).
The development of an innovative electrification planning process will not only lower utility bills but also enable the significant levels of electrification expected through consumer choice and in pursuit of the Climate Act goals.
The Commission directed the major utilities to file a proposal for a long-term coordinated planning process to study and identify necessary upgrades to support electrification. In the proposal, the utilities will account for new electrification loads beyond the transportation sector, including, but not limited to, electrification of buildings, such as housing or industrial loads related to economic development that can similarly drive system upgrade needs.
The proposal is predicted to include assumptions and methods to inspire the process, as well as identify necessary data and timelines required to carry out the study.
The utilities’ proposals will include at least two options related to load forecast development: utilities should consider the option of relying on load forecasts developed in other proceedings, including the work produced by the CGPP, and the option of developing their own bottom-up forecast of granular electric demands.
The Commission guides the major utilities to submit filings in three months outlining the urgent upgrades required in their territories, and a filing in four months describing the required long-term planning processes.
