CAISO Stakeholder Meeting Highlights

On Sept. 17, I attended CAISO’s 2024 Resource Interconnection Standards Fair, an important event for energy generation and grid interconnection stakeholders. During the event, CAISO’s interconnections team walked through the interconnection application process in detail. Below are some of the highlights from those discussions and the questions raised.  

• The application resubmission window for projects in Cluster 15 opened on Oct. 1 and closes on Dec. 12. Completed applications that adhere to the FERC 2023 and IPE 2023 revisions can be submitted through the Grid Resource Interconnection Portal.
• The Interconnection Request Package has been updated, including changes to the interconnection study deposit, application fee, commercial, readiness deposit, and demonstration of 90% site control or documentation of regulatory limitation and deposit.
• CAISO revealed details on scoring criteria, highlighting that required scoring documentation can only be submitted during the resubmission window and will not be reviewed until a project moves into scoring.
• The projected timeline for interconnection application and performance of the corresponding studies is as follows: 
• May 2025:C15 application process completed.
• June 2025: Cluster studies begin. 
• Q1 2027: Transmission Planning Deliverability studies completed. 
• CAISO discussed site control and regulatory limitations and explained that projects must demonstrate 90% site control or furnish a regulatory limitation affidavit. Projects that cannot obtain site control due to a regulatory limitation will have the option of a site control deposit of $10,000 per MW, subject to a minimum of $500,000 and a maximum of $2,000,000. Site control deposits are fully refundable.
• For projects tied after the DFAX analysis, CAISO will hold an auction in Feb. 2025 where interconnection customers can submit a single, sealed bid of a $/MW value or withdraw. Winners will be notified by March 5, 2025.
• Queue management was a frequent topic of discussion, including responsibilities, transmission planning deliverability, interconnection request modifications (process and forms), limited operation studies, repowering requests, and initial synchronization and commercial operation.
• CAISO provided additional details regarding repowering requests for existing generating facilities that wish to make unsubstantial changes. Facilities that propose substantial changes must go through the Generation Interconnection and Deliverability Allocation Procedures. Repowering requests must utilize the same fuel source and point of interconnection.
• The New Resource Implementation (NRI) process was also discussed. NRI’s main goal is to verify that each new resource enters the market correctly, following FERC and NERC standards, the CAISO Tariff, and BPMs, and can operate reliably. Before starting the NRI, consider the main requirements of an executed IA, such as no open MMAs and resources ready for construction. 
• CAISO presented the Points of Interconnection Heatmap, officially released on Sept. 20. The interactive webpage depicts geographical locations of available capacity on CAISO’s transmission system. The Heatmap will be updated every 30 calendar days after a cluster study.