California ISO to take wait-and-see attitude on resource adequacy

San Francisco (Platts)--22Mar2004

The California Independent System Operator staff has recommended that the grid operator back off for now from getting more involved in power resource adequacy issues in the state, according to a recently released memorandum. The ISO board in February had considered taking a more active role in resource adequacy after its staff feared that the state Public Utilities Commission's Jan 22 order on utility long-term power procurement plans could threaten grid reliability. The ISO board was concerned about the impact of the PUC's decision to defer full implementation of procurement rules until 2008 and to leave out details about how the rules would be monitored and enforced. In the memorandum, ISO staff proposed to continue to engage discussions with parties involved in the resource adequacy debate and assist the PUC in its efforts to finalize a viable program by this summer.