HF 2682 (LSB 6805HV (1) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2682

BY  COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 2283)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to grid-enhancing technologies and reconductoring, including study and reporting requirements.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  478.34  Grid-enhancing technologies and reconductoring.
   1.  For purposes of this section:
   a.  “Capacity” means the maximum amount of electricity that can flow through a transmission line while observing industry safety standards.
   b.  “Congestion” means a condition in which a lack of transmission line capacity prevents the delivery of the lowest-cost electricity dispatched to meet the load demand at a specific location.
   c.  “Dynamic line rating system” means hardware or software used to calculate the thermal limit of existing electric transmission lines at a specific point in time by incorporating information on real-time and forecasted weather conditions.
   d.  “Grid-enhancing technology” means hardware and software that increases the capacity of electrical lines and improves the congestion, efficiency, reliability, and safety of the grid. “Grid-enhancing technology” includes but is not limited to a dynamic line rating system, an advanced power flow control system, or topology optimization.
   e.  “Power flow control system” means hardware and software used to reroute electricity from overloaded electric transmission lines to underutilized electric transmission lines.
   f.  “Reconductored with an advanced conductor” means replacing the existing electric conductor with a conductor that has a direct current electrical resistance not less than ten percent lower than existing conductors of a similar diameter on the system and may include rebuilding support structures or other associated facilities.
   g.  “Thermal limit” means the temperature an electric transmission line reaches when heat from the electric current flow within the electric transmission line causes excessive sagging of the electric transmission line.
   h.  “Topology optimization” means a software technology that uses mathematical models to identify reconfigurations in the transmission grid in order to reroute electricity from overloaded electric transmission lines to underutilized electric transmission lines.
   2.  a.  On or before January 1, 2027, and every three years thereafter, each public utility or transmission company that owns or operates an electric transmission line in Iowa shall prepare and submit a study of the feasibility of projects using grid-enhancing technologies and identifying which of its transmission lines can be reconductored with an advanced conductor to achieve one or more of the purposes listed in paragraph “c”.
   b.  The study shall provide information on feasibility, cost, rating, implementation time, and any other information deemed relevant by the utilities commission and be submitted to the commission in a public filing.
   c.  The study required under paragraph “a” shall be designed to identify projects that can use grid-enhancing technologies or reconductoring with an advanced conductor to achieve one or more of the following purposes:
   (1)  Increase transmission capacity.
   (2)  Reduce transmission system congestion.
   (3)  Reduce curtailment of or increase capacity to connect renewable and zero-carbon resources.
   (4)  Increase reliability.
   (5)  Reduce potential siting conflicts or land impacts from the development of new electric transmission lines.
   (6)  Increase flexibility to reduce risks surrounding technology and permitting uncertainties in statewide electrical system planning and improve optionality for load-serving entities.
   (7)  Reduce line losses.
   (8)  Increase the ability to quickly energize new customers or serve increased customer load.
   3.  This section does not apply to a municipal utility, a cooperative electric association, or a company or organization that owns a transmission line that serves a single customer or interconnects a single electric generating facility.
   4.  To meet the requirements of this section, reporting parties may rely on available information and analysis developed by a regional transmission organization or any subgroup of a regional transmission organization and may develop and include additional information as necessary.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to grid-enhancing technologies and reconductoring. The bill defines terms related to electric transmission capacity, congestion, and grid-enhancing technologies.
   The bill requires each public utility or transmission company that owns or operates electric transmission lines in Iowa to prepare and submit by January 1, 2027, and every three years thereafter, a public study to the Iowa utilities commission (commission) examining the feasibility of projects using grid-enhancing technologies and identifying reconductoring opportunities. The bill requires the study to provide information on feasibility, costs, implementation time, and other information deemed relevant by the commission.
   The study must be designed to identify projects that can achieve one or more specified purposes, including increasing transmission capacity, reducing congestion, reducing curtailment of renewable and zero-carbon resources, improving reliability, reducing siting conflicts, increasing flexibility to reduce risks surrounding technology, reducing line losses, increasing flexibility in transmission planning, and improving the ability to serve new customers or increased customer load.
   The bill does not apply to a municipal utility, a cooperative electric association, or a company or organization that owns a transmission line that serves a single customer or interconnects a single electric generating facility.
   The bill allows public utilities and electric transmission line companies to rely on existing analyses and information developed by a regional transmission organization or its subgroups to satisfy the study requirements and to include that information as necessary.