S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10365
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               May 21, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Stirpe) --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Energy
 
 AN ACT to authorize and direct the public service commission to  conduct
   a study on the deployment of energy interconnection processes into the
   electrical grid
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Study. The public  service  commission  is  authorized  and
 directed  to  conduct a study on the regulatory barriers, if any, to the
 rapid deployment of energy interconnection processes in the  state  that
 shall include, but not be limited to:
   (a)  Potential changes to the interconnection process to rapidly bring
 new renewable energy resources onto the  electrical  grid  to  meet  the
 state's  renewable energy goals set out under the climate leadership and
 community protection act, as amended;
   (b) The state's ability  to  comply  with  goals  established  in  the
 climate  leadership  and  community  protection  act,  as  amended, with
 current energy interconnection process timelines, including  the  effect
 of  recent  reforms  by the New York Independent System Operator and any
 additional anticipated reforms;
   (c) The experience of other interconnection systems using "Connect and
 Manage" or other alternative connection agreements in terms of the speed
 of resource deployments and electrical grid reliability;
   (d) The extent to which the studies  and  network  upgrades  currently
 required for Energy Resource Interconnection Service projects in the New
 York  Independent  System  Operator go beyond the minimal set of studies
 and network upgrades needed to safely operate  the  system  with  a  new
 resource, in comparison to the United Kingdom's Enabling Works approach;
   (e)  Whether it is possible to identify more efficient system upgrades
 in the context of the New York Independent System Operator comprehensive
 system  planning  process  rather  than  certain  studies  and  upgrades
 currently in the energy interconnection process;
   (f)  Whether  projects  that  initially  join  the  system with Energy
 Resource Interconnection Service status can be elevated to  the  Network
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14526-04-4
 A. 10365                            2
 
 Resource  Interconnection  Service  status  upon  completion of relevant
 network upgrades, to determine if there is a mechanism by which  genera-
 tors  could  be  allocated  part  of  the cost of such upgrades, if such
 upgrades  are  completed  via  the comprehensive system planning process
 rather than the energy interconnection process;
   (g) Improvements to the interconnection process for  qualified  energy
 storage  systems as defined by subdivision 1 of section 74 of the public
 service law; and
   (h) Whether any changes identified in this study at  the  transmission
 level would also improve processes at the distribution level.
   §  2.  Report. No later than one year after the effective date of this
 act, the public service commission shall submit  to  the  governor,  the
 speaker  of  the  assembly  and the temporary president of the senate, a
 report assessing its findings under  the  study  conducted  pursuant  to
 section  one  of  this act, and any recommendations to rapidly bring new
 renewable energy resources onto the electrical grid to meet the  state's
 renewable energy goals set out under the climate leadership and communi-
 ty protection act, as amended.
   §  3.  Definitions.  For the purposes of this act, the following terms
 shall have the following meanings:
   (a) "Energy interconnection process" means the process of  integrating
 new  sources  of renewable energy resources, as defined by section 1-103
 of the energy law, into the electrical grid.
   (b) "Electrical grid" means the network of electric plants  and  other
 electric  generating  facilities  and  equipment, and electricity trans-
 mission and distribution systems in the state.
   (c) "Renewable energy  resources"  shall  have  the  same  meaning  as
 defined by section 1-103 of the energy law.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.