2. Background

Senate Bill (SB) 1078, effective January 1, 2003, established the California Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program.¹ As part of the RPS Program, each California electrical corporation or retail seller, with limited exception, is required each year to procure a minimum quantity of electricity from eligible renewable energy resources. The amount must increase by 1% each year, and reach 20% of total retail sales no later than 2010. As part of fulfilling this requirement, each electrical corporation must prepare a renewable energy procurement plan (Plan). The Commission is required to review and accept, modify or reject each Plan.

In Decision (D.) 07-02-011, issued in Rulemaking (R.) 06-05-027, the Commission conditionally accepted procurement plans for the 2007 RPS solicitations. In D.08-05-029 in R.06-02-012, the Commission established rules for the participation of small and multi-jurisdictional utilities (MJUs) in the RPS Program. In D.09-06-050, issued in R.08-08-009, the Commission established price benchmarks and contract review processes for short-term and bilateral procurement contracts for RPS compliance purposes.

Although all three proceedings relate to RPS implementation, they are not consolidated. R.06-05-027 was closed upon the opening of R.08-08-009, and all open matters were moved to R.08-08-009. (See R.08-08-009, page 5, Ordering Paragraphs 2 and 13.)

¹ Stats. 2002, Ch. 516, Sec. 3, codified as Pub. Util. Code §§ 399.11, et seq. All subsequent code section references are to the Public Utilities Code unless noted otherwise.