Assembly Bill A4127

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4127
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 31, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by 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
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03676-01-5
 A. 4127                             2
              

 
 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
 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.