Weekly Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) Bulletin- May 16

Source: Washington State Department of Commerce, May 16, 2022

Second annual resource adequacy meeting scheduled June 17; Pre-meeting survey responses requested

Commerce and the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) will be hosting the second annual electric power resource adequacy meeting on Friday, June 17. The meeting will focus the current, short-term and long-term adequacy of energy resources to serve the state’s electric power needs.

Topics covered will include:

  • Recent assessments of electricity demand and supply
  • The electric power industry’s progress in developing a coordinated resource adequacy program
  • Other actions utilities are taking to ensure resource adequacy

Annual resource adequacy meetings are the result of 2020 legislation, which in part, states the following:

The legislature finds that the Northwest’s power system is undergoing significant changes, including the retirement of baseload power generation resources, changes in hydroelectric output, and increases in distributed generation and variable renewable generation. Maintaining the adequacy, sufficiency, and availability of power supply to the growing populace in the Northwest is critical to the future of the region. Additional information sharing and coordination among utilities, planning entities, and state agencies is necessary to ensure that the region is adapting to the changing power system while maintaining the adequacy, sufficiency, and availability of the power supply for the region.

Virtual meeting

  • 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Friday, June 17, Zoom
    Meeting passcode: RA
    Call-in info: +1 253 215 8782
    Meeting ID: 840 7210 2783
    Call-in Passcode: 570744

The meeting agenda is under development and will be posted on Commerce’s resource adequacy webpage.

Take the survey by June 13

Commerce and the UTC are inviting the public to submit recommendations prior to the meeting for improving resource adequacy. These might include:

  • Recommendations to prevent blackouts
  • Regulatory or statutory changes, and utility actions to improve resource adequacy

Please complete the Resource adequacy recommendations survey to submit recommendations by June 13, so agencies have time to review comments. Responses to the survey will inform discussions at the June 17 meeting.

Clean energy implementation plan data aggregation review closes June 3

Commerce has completed its initial aggregation of consumer-owned utility clean energy implementation plans (CEIP). The aggregate spreadsheet and a webinar on the agency’s aggregation process are available on the Compliance and Reporting webpage.

Commerce is asking utilities and the public to review the aggregate file by June 3.

Please contact Commerce at ceta@commerce.wa.gov if you believe the agency has made a mistake in copying information from the submitted reports into the aggregated sheet or incorrectly categorized the responses. Commerce will use the revised aggregate file to further summarize consumer-owned utility CEIPs.

The CEIP is the first planning document submitted to the agency under CETA. It documents how a utility intends to comply with CETA’s clean energy and equity requirements over the next four years, and make progress towards the state’s 2030 greenhouse gas neutral and 2045 greenhouse gas free standards.

No future CETA rulemaking events scheduled; Public hearing link available

On April 27, Commerce held a public hearing on its proposed rules on storage accounting, double counting of renewable energy credits, and accounting for transactions in electricity markets. The proposed rules and recording of the public hearing are available on the CETA Rulemaking webpage.

Commerce is now reviewing public comments submitted as part of its public hearing. The time and effort stakeholders have put into these comments and participation in this rulemaking effort over the last two-and-a-half years is appreciated.  

Commerce must adopt the rules by filing a CR-103 before the rules go into effect – 31 days after filing a CR-103. Rules must be adopted before the statutory deadline of June 30.