103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB3794

 

Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Adriane Johnson

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Powering Up Illinois Act. Provides that an electrical corporation which operates in the State shall upgrade the State's electrical distribution systems in order to achieve the State's decarbonization standards. Provides that an electrical corporation shall be adequately staffed and recruit, train, and retain further staff as needed. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish reasonable average and maximum target energization time periods. Provides that the Commission shall establish requirements for an electrical corporation to report to the Commission, at least annually, to track and improve electrical corporation performance. Provides that the Commission shall require an electrical corporation to establish a dedicated electrification team. Sets forth requirements for an electrical corporation to consider when engaging in the annual distribution planning process. Provides that, in its site evaluation and design process, the Commission shall require an electrical corporation to consider flexible interconnection to defer or mitigate energization-related grid upgrades, but, if the solutions cannot defer or mitigate an upgrade, the corporation may evaluate traditional system upgrades. Provides that an electrical corporation may recover costs. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB3794LRB103 38957 CES 69094 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Powering Up Illinois Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7    "Electrification" means any new use of electricity,
8expanded use of electricity, or change in use of electricity,
9including, but not limited to, in the industrial, commercial,
10agricultural, housing, or transportation sectors.
11    "Energization" and "energize" means connecting new
12customers to the electrical grid, establishing adequate
13electrical capacity to provide service for a new customer, or
14upgrading electrical capacity to provide upgraded service to
15an existing customer. The terms "energization" and "energize"
16do not include activities related to connecting electricity
17supply resources.
18    "Energization time period" means the elapsed time
19beginning when the electrical corporation receives a
20substantially complete energization project application and
21ending when the electric service is installed and energized.
 
22    Section 10. Findings. The General Assembly finds and

 

 

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1declares all of the following:
2        (1) It is the policy of the State to increase the use
3    of electric vehicles in the State to 1,000,000 by 2030.
4    That expanded infrastructure investment will help Illinois
5    more rapidly decarbonize the transportation sector.
6    Widespread use of electric vehicles and charging equipment
7    has the potential to provide customers with fuel cost
8    savings and provide electric utility customers with
9    cost-saving benefits. Widespread use of electric vehicles
10    stimulates innovation, competition, and increased choices
11    in charging equipment and networks and also attracts
12    private capital investments and creates high-quality jobs
13    in Illinois. Accelerating the adoption of electric
14    vehicles will drive the decarbonization of Illinois'
15    transportation sector. To meet these goals and federal,
16    State, regional, and local air quality and decarbonization
17    standards, plans, and regulations, a large increase in
18    both the quantity of electricity used and the functions
19    for which electricity will be used is needed.
20        (2) To meet these decarbonization goals as well as
21    federal, State, regional, and local air quality and
22    decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations, the
23    State's electrical distribution systems must be
24    substantially upgraded, new customers must promptly
25    connect to the electrical distribution system, and
26    existing customers must have their service level promptly

 

 

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1    upgraded.
2        (3) There are many reports of large housing
3    developments that are unable to be promptly energized. The
4    State has an urgent need to increase its supply of
5    housing, requiring both new electrical distribution
6    capacity and the prompt energization of new housing.
7        (4) There are many reports of individual customers who
8    are unable to have their electrical service promptly
9    upgraded or energized and charging stations for
10    light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and
11    off-road vehicles, vessels, trains, and equipment that are
12    unable to be promptly energized. These delays may inhibit
13    the State's ability to meet its decarbonization goals and
14    federal, State, regional, and local air quality and
15    decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations.
16        (5) To improve the speed at which energization and
17    service upgrades are performed, electrical corporations
18    that distribute electricity must do both of the following:
19            (A) improve their advance planning, engineering,
20        and construction of increased distribution and
21        transmission system capacity; and
22            (B) preorder transformers, switchgear, and other
23        needed equipment.
24        (6) Electrifying transportation and buildings can put
25    downward pressure on rates by spreading fixed costs over
26    more kilowatt-hours of usage.

 

 

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1        (7) Delays in energization, including service
2    upgrades, are costly both to the customers awaiting
3    service and to other customers who are deprived of the
4    downward pressure on rates.
5        (8) To carry out the planning, engineering, and
6    construction of electrical distribution systems needed to
7    promptly serve customers, electrical corporations that
8    distribute electricity must recruit, train, and retain an
9    adequately sized, qualified workforce.
10        (9) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish
11    target deadlines for utilities that distribute electricity
12    to energize new customers and upgrade the service of
13    existing customers.
14        (10) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish
15    reporting requirements for electrical corporations that
16    distribute electricity to report the extent to which they
17    comply with the target deadlines and the reasons for any
18    noncompliance.
 
19    Section 15. Electrical distribution system upgrades. An
20electrical corporation that operates within the State shall:
21        (1) upgrade the State's electrical distribution
22    systems as needed and in time to achieve the State's
23    decarbonization goals, and implement federal, State,
24    regional, and local air quality and decarbonization
25    standards, plans, and regulations;

 

 

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1        (2) comply with the obligation of the electrical
2    corporation to serve by conducting sufficient advance
3    planning, engineering, and construction of increased
4    distribution of system capacity and by preordering
5    transformers and other needed equipment so that customers
6    can be energized without substantial delay;
7        (3) promptly energize new customers, including by
8    ensuring that new housing, new businesses, and new
9    charging for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty
10    vehicles and off-road vehicles, vessels, trains, and
11    equipment can be used without delay caused by a failure of
12    the utility to implement energization projects;
13        (4) promptly upgrade service when needed by customers;
14    and
15        (5) recruit, train, and retain an adequately sized and
16    qualified workforce to carry out the planning,
17    engineering, and construction of electrical distribution
18    systems needed to promptly serve customers seeking
19    energization and service upgrades without sacrificing
20    other necessary activities of the workforce.
 
21    Section 20. Illinois Commerce Commission requirements.
22    (a) On or before 180 days after the effective date of this
23Act, the Illinois Commerce Commission shall:
24        (1) Establish reasonable average and maximum target
25    energization time periods. The targets shall ensure that

 

 

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1    work is completed in a manner that minimizes delay in
2    meeting the date requested by the customer for completion
3    of the project to the greatest extent possible and
4    prioritizes work in a manner consistent with Sections 10
5    and 15 of this Act. The targets may vary depending on the
6    complexity and magnitude of the work required and
7    uncertainties regarding the readiness of the customer
8    project needing energization. The targets may also
9    recognize any factors beyond the electrical corporation's
10    control.
11        (2) Establish requirements for an electrical
12    corporation to report to the Illinois Commerce Commission,
13    at least annually, in order to track and improve
14    electrical corporation performance. The report shall
15    include the average, median, and standard deviation time
16    between receiving an application for energizing the
17    electrical service, explanations for energization time
18    periods that exceed the target maximum for energization
19    projects, constraints, and obstacles to each type of
20    energization, including, but not limited to, funding
21    limitations, qualified staffing availability, or equipment
22    availability, and any other information requested by the
23    Illinois Commerce Commission.
24        (3) Establish a procedure for customers to report
25    energization delays to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
26    (b) If energization time periods exceed the Commission's

 

 

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1target averages, or if the electrical corporation has a
2substantial number of energization projects that exceed the
3Commission's target maximums, the electrical corporation shall
4include in its report pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection
5(a) a strategy for meeting the targets in the future. The
6Commission may request modification of the electrical
7corporation's strategy to ensure that the electrical
8corporation meets targets promptly and consistent with the
9policies set forth in Section 10.
10    (c) Data reported by electrical corporations shall be
11anonymized or averaged data to the extent necessary to prevent
12identifying individual customers. The Commission shall require
13all reports to be publicly available.
14    (d) The Commission shall require the electrical
15corporation to take any remedial actions necessary to achieve
16the Commission's targets, including the use of incentives or
17penalties.
 
18    Section 25. Electrification team; staffing.
19    (a) The Commission shall require each electrical
20corporation to establish a dedicated electrification team that
21shall, at a minimum, do the following:
22        (1) serve as a single point of contact for customers
23    throughout the entire energization process;
24        (2) proactively engage with customers to understand
25    and support electrification plans; and

 

 

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1        (3) consolidate all transportation electrification
2    customer programs, accounts and relevant information to
3    support electrification and the energization process.
4    (b) The Commission shall require each electrical
5corporation to have adequate qualified staffing needed for the
6electrification team to be consistent with the findings and
7achieve the policies and requirements of this Act.
8    (c) For job classifications that have apprentice training
9requirements, the Commission shall require each electrical
10corporation to maintain a pipeline of apprentices sufficient
11to meet future qualified staffing needs, subject to any
12limitations based on safe staffing ratios.
13    (d) As part of each report required pursuant to paragraph
14(2) of subsection (a) of Section 20, and in each general rate
15case application, each electrical corporation shall include a
16detailed analysis of its current qualified staffing level and
17future required qualified staffing level for each job
18classification needed to achieve the policies and requirements
19of this Act.
 
20    Section 30. Electrical corporation requirements. The
21Commission shall require an electrical corporation to do the
22following:
23    (1) consider, in its annual distribution planning process,
24all of the following:
25        (A) federal, State, regional, and local air quality

 

 

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1    and decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations;
2        (B) the transportation and building electrification
3    policies of State law;
4        (C) State agency, local agency, and local government
5    plans and requirements related to housing, economic
6    development, critical facilities, transportation, and
7    building electrification; and
8        (D) load and electrification forecasts that include
9    the following:
10            (i) known load and projections of load conducted
11        by State agencies, and projections of load that exceed
12        forecasts conducted by State agencies, including the
13        Commission-led study as required by this Act;
14            (ii) includes a minimum of 3 time horizons
15        including short (1 to 2 years), medium (3 to 5 years),
16        and long-term (6 to 10 years);
17            (iii) includes multiple scenarios including
18        business-as-usual, meeting climate goals, and low,
19        medium, and high electrification;
20            (iv) hourly, feeder-level forecasts; and
21            (v) a consideration of the impact of distributed
22        energy resource forecasts and specifically, local
23        generation.
24    (2) Consider, in its site evaluation and design process,
25all of the following:
26        (A) flexible interconnection such as automated load

 

 

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1    management, managed charging, and distributed energy
2    resources to defer or mitigate energization-related grid
3    upgrades; and
4        (B) if the above solutions cannot defer or mitigate an
5    upgrade, the electrical corporation may evaluate
6    traditional system upgrades.
7    (3) Adopt and implement rules and regulations to satisfy
8the policies set forth in Section 20 and to meet the
9energization time periods established pursuant to paragraph
10(1) of subsection (a) of Section 20.
 
11    Section 35. Recovery of costs. The Commission shall ensure
12that electrical corporations have sufficient and timely
13recovery of costs to be consistent with the findings and
14achieve the policies and requirements of this Act, including
15for emergent electrification projects.
 
16    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
17becoming law.