Pacific Gas and Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison face timelines for connecting new residential buildings, commercial businesses, electric vehicle charging stations and other customer projects to the distribution system under rules approved last week by the California Public Utilities Commission.
If the targets are met, the maximum time it takes for grid connections would be cut nearly in half, according to the PUC, which approved the timelines on Sept. 12.
“This decision requires that the three large electric [investor-owned utilities] plan and prioritize energization work to meet the new targets and timelines, report on time periods that exceed the targets, and adopt remedial actions if the targets are exceeded,” the PUC said.
For energizing EV charger infrastructure, for example, the PUC set an average energization target of 182 days and a maximum target of 335 days, according to a fact sheet on the decision.
The commission also set maximum timelines for utilities to make capacity upgrades to the distribution system that are driven by new service requests. They would have up to 684 days for new or upgraded circuits, for example.
The PUC is also requiring the utilities to file reports twice a year detailing their energization completion times, factors affecting energization and the reasons for any delays. They must also craft customer engagement plans to increase outreach with customers as well as provide real-time updates to customers in the energization process, the PUC said.
“This decision moves us forward by improving oversight, transparency, and accountability to serve the needs of EV charging stations, new housing developments, building electrification, and other customer requests for service,” CPUC President Alice Reynolds said in a press release.
The decision implements the Powering Up Californians Act, which passed the California Legislature in September 2023.
The PUC plans to start a second phase of the proceeding to consider improvements to the targets and timelines and resolve other energization issues. The commission said it expects to refine its timelines for capacity upgrades in the second phase.
