§ 7-704.3. Upgrading and expanding the transmission system
West's Annotated Code of MarylandPublic UtilitiesEffective: June 1, 2023
Effective: June 1, 2023
MD Code, Public Utilities, § 7-704.3
§ 7-704.3. Upgrading and expanding the transmission system
(a) The General Assembly finds and declares that it is in the public interest to upgrade and expand the transmission system to accommodate the buildout of at least 8,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy from qualified offshore wind projects serving the State by 2031.
(b)(1) To meet the goals established under § 7-703 of this subtitle and subsection (a) of this section, the Commission, in consultation with the Maryland Energy Administration, shall request that PJM Interconnection conduct an analysis of transmission system upgrade and expansion options that take into consideration both onshore and offshore infrastructure.
(c)(1) On or before July 1, 2025, the Commission shall issue, or request that PJM Interconnection issue, one or more competitive solicitations for proposals for open access offshore wind transmission facilities and complementary onshore transmission upgrades and expansions.
(d) In developing criteria for selecting a proposal under this section, the Commission:
(3) may consult with the Administration, electric companies, transmission facility owners, and other states or entities designated by those states in developing or coordinating equivalent standards for the approval of transmission projects under this section that will facilitate the integration of multiple offshore wind energy projects and potential multistate offshore wind transmission projects.
(e)(1) The Commission shall include, or work with PJM Interconnection to include, specifications in the solicitation that require proposals to:
(iv) address the siting, environmental, and socioeconomic information required to be considered by the Commission under § 7-207 of this title for an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity, including opportunities for public engagement and comment with units of State and local government and the general public;
(v) demonstrate net benefits to ratepayers in the State when compared with an alternative baseline scenario under which 8,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy capacity is connected to PJM Interconnection independent of an offshore wind transmission project to achieve the goal established under § 7-704.1(a)(1)(i) of this subtitle; and
(f) The solicitation process shall:
(g) The Commission may modify, or request that PJM Interconnection modify, a solicitation for proposals at any time in order to satisfy eligibility criteria for U.S. Department of Energy funding programs.
(h) In selecting a proposal under this section, the Commission shall take into consideration the total amount of new transmission infrastructure needed to:
(i) The Commission shall:
(j) If the Commission finds that none of the proposals adequately support the goals established under this section or demonstrate net benefits to ratepayers in the State when compared with an alternative baseline scenario under subsection (e)(1)(v) of this section, then the Commission may end the solicitation process without selecting a proposal.
(k)(1) The Commission may, for a proposal selected under subsection (i) of this section:
(l) Except as provided in subsection (k) of this section, a proposal selected under this section is subject to all other relevant requirements for the siting and construction of transmission lines.
(m) Selection of coordinated transmission proposals may not impact the interconnection plans of earlier offshore wind projects, including OCS-A 0490 (US Wind) and OCS-A 0519 (Skipjack), unless the leaseholders for these projects opt to participate in the proposal by notifying the Commission by mail or e-mail before the completion of the analysis of transmission system expansion options under subsection (b) of this section.
(n) If no proposal has been selected under this section by December 1, 2027, the Commission shall submit a statement of determination to the Governor and General Assembly that:
(o) After the Commission selects a proposal or proposals, the Commission shall work with the Maryland Energy Administration, transmission developer or developers, transmission facility owners, PJM Interconnection, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and any other states that voluntarily participate, to facilitate the development of the proposal or proposals and the construction of the proposed offshore wind project or projects.
Credits
Added by Acts 2023, c. 95, § 1, eff. June 1, 2023.
MD Code, Public Utilities, § 7-704.3, MD PUBLIC UTIL § 7-704.3
Current through legislation effective through April 9, 2023, from the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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