Washington HB 1819: Increasing transmission capacity.

Bill Text

AN ACT Relating to increasing transmission capacity; amending RCW 1
19.280.030; adding a new section to chapter 80.28 RCW; adding a new 2
section to chapter 43.21C RCW; and creating a new section.3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
Sec. 1. RCW 19.280.030 and 2024 c 351 s 9 are each amended to 5
read as follows:6
Each electric utility must develop a plan consistent with this 7
section.8
(1) Utilities with more than 25,000 customers that are not full 9
requirements customers must develop or update an integrated resource 10
plan by September 1, 2008. At a minimum, progress reports reflecting 11
changing conditions and the progress of the integrated resource plan 12
must be produced every two years thereafter. An updated integrated 13
resource plan must be developed at least every four years subsequent 14
to the 2008 integrated resource plan. The integrated resource plan, 15
at a minimum, must include:16
(a) A range of forecasts, for at least the next 10 years or 17
longer, of projected customer demand which takes into account 18
econometric data and customer usage;19
(b) An assessment of commercially available conservation and 20
efficiency resources, as informed, as applicable, by the assessment 21
H-0383.3
HOUSE BILL 1819
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Barnard, Doglio, Parshley, Ramel, and Fitzgibbon
Read first time 02/04/25. Referred to Committee on Environment &
Energy.
p. 1 HB 1819

for conservation potential under RCW 19.285.040 for the planning 1
horizon consistent with (a) of this subsection. Such assessment may 2
include, as appropriate, opportunities for development of combined 3
heat and power as an energy and capacity resource, demand response 4
and load management programs, and currently employed and new policies 5
and programs needed to obtain the conservation and efficiency 6
resources;7
(c) An assessment of commercially available, utility scale 8
renewable and nonrenewable generating technologies including a 9
comparison of the benefits and risks of purchasing power or building 10
new resources;11
(d) A comparative evaluation of renewable and nonrenewable 12
generating resources, including transmission and distribution 13
delivery costs, and conservation and efficiency resources using 14
"lowest reasonable cost" as a criterion;15
(e) An assessment of methods, commercially available 16
technologies, or facilities for integrating renewable resources, 17
including but not limited to battery storage and pumped storage, and 18
addressing overgeneration events, if applicable to the utility's 19
resource portfolio;20
(f) An assessment and 20-year forecast of the availability of and 21
requirements for regional generation and transmission capacity to 22
provide and deliver electricity to the utility's customers and to 23
meet the requirements of chapter 288, Laws of 2019 and the state's 24
greenhouse gas emissions reduction limits in RCW 70A.45.020. The 25
transmission assessment must identify the utility's expected needs to 26
acquire new long-term firm rights, develop new, or expand or upgrade 27
existing, bulk transmission facilities consistent with the 28
requirements of this section and reliability standards;29
(i) If an electric utility operates transmission assets rated at 30
115,000 volts or greater, the transmission assessment must take into 31
account opportunities to make more effective use of existing 32
transmission capacity through improved transmission system operating 33
practices, energy efficiency, demand response, grid modernization, 34
nonwires solutions, and other programs if applicable. The 35
transmission assessment for such an electric utility must examine 36
which of the utility's transmission lines can be reconductored with 37
advanced conductors;38
(ii) An electric utility that relies entirely or primarily on a 39
contract for transmission service to provide necessary transmission 40
p. 2 HB 1819

services may comply with the transmission requirements of this 1
subsection by requesting that the counterparty to the transmission 2
service contract include the provisions of chapter 288, Laws of 2019 3
and chapter 70A.45 RCW as public policy mandates in the transmission 4
service provider's process for assessing transmission need, and 5
planning and acquiring necessary transmission capacity;6
(iii) An electric utility may comply with the requirements of 7
this subsection (1)(f) by relying on and incorporating the results of 8
a separate transmission assessment process, conducted individually or 9
jointly with other utilities and transmission system users, if that 10
assessment process meets the requirements of this subsection;11
(g) A determination of resource adequacy metrics for the resource 12
plan consistent with the forecasts;13
(h) A forecast of distributed energy resources that may be 14
installed by the utility's customers and an assessment of their 15
effect on the utility's load and operations;16