103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5234

 

Introduced 2/9/2024, by Rep. Lawrence "Larry" Walsh, Jr.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
220 ILCS 5/Art. XXIII heading new
220 ILCS 5/23-100 new
220 ILCS 5/23-105 new

    Creates the Transmission Efficiency and Cooperation Law within the Public Utilities Act. Provides that an incumbent electric transmission owner has the right to construct, own, and maintain an electric transmission line approved in a transmission plan that will connect to facilities that are owned by that incumbent electric transmission owner and that are or will be under the functional control of a regional transmission operator. Specifies that the right to construct, own, and maintain such an electric transmission line belongs individually and proportionally to each incumbent electric transmission owner, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing. Provides that proportionality shall be determined based on the location of the electric transmission line relative to each incumbent electric transmission owner's retail service territory. Authorizes an incumbent electric transmission owner to assign its right to construct, own, and maintain an electric transmission line to a transmission affiliate. Provides that an owner may notify the Illinois Commerce Commission that it will not construct any or all of the electric transmission line, and the Commission may grant permission and approval for the construction to another entity. Effective immediately.


LRB103 37941 CES 69614 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5234LRB103 37941 CES 69614 b

1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding
5Article XXIII as follows:
 
6    (220 ILCS 5/Art. XXIII heading new)
7
ARTICLE XXIII. TRANSMISSION EFFICIENCY AND COOPERATION LAW

 
8    (220 ILCS 5/23-100 new)
9    Sec. 23-100. Short title. This Article may be cited as the
10Transmission Efficiency and Cooperation Law.
 
11    (220 ILCS 5/23-105 new)
12    Sec. 23-105. Incumbent electric transmission line owner
13rights.
14    (a) As used in this Section:
15    "Electric transmission line" means a transmission line
16that is designed and constructed with the capability of being
17safely and reliably energized at 100 kilovolts or more and its
18associated transmission facilities, including transmission
19substations. "Electric transmission line" does not include
20electric transmission lines located on an electric generating
21facility's side of the facility's point of interconnection

 

 

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1with an incumbent electric transmission line owner.
2    "Incumbent electric transmission owner" means any public
3utility, municipal corporation, or electric cooperative that
4owns, operates, and maintains at least one electric
5transmission line in this State.
6    "Regional transmission operator" means a regional
7transmission organization, independent system operator, or
8equivalent entity approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory
9Commission, or its successor agency, that exercises functional
10control over electric transmission lines located in this
11State.
12    "Transmission affiliate" means any company that (i) has
13been issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity
14in Illinois authorizing it to own and operate an electric
15transmission line and (ii) is an Illinois electric utility as
16defined in Section 16-102 or an affiliate of it through a
17common ownership structure.
18    "Transmission plan" means a transmission plan adopted by a
19regional transmission operator.
20    (b) An incumbent electric transmission owner has the right
21to construct, own, and maintain an electric transmission line
22that has been approved for construction in a transmission plan
23and that will connect to facilities that are owned by that
24incumbent electric transmission owner and are or will be, once
25construction is completed, under the functional control of a
26regional transmission operator. The right to construct, own,

 

 

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1and maintain such an electric transmission line that will
2connect to facilities owned by 2 or more incumbent electric
3transmission owners belongs individually and proportionally to
4each incumbent electric transmission owner, unless otherwise
5agreed upon in writing. Proportionality shall be determined
6based on the location of the electric transmission line
7relative to each incumbent electric transmission owner's
8retail service territory. An incumbent electric transmission
9owner shall be permitted to assign its right to construct,
10own, and maintain an electric transmission line to a
11transmission affiliate.
12    (c) Nothing in this Section limits the right of any
13incumbent electric transmission owner to construct, own, and
14maintain any transmission equipment or facilities that have a
15capacity of less than 100 kilovolts or of any entity otherwise
16qualified under this Act to own, operate, and maintain
17electric transmission facilities that are not approved for
18construction in a transmission plan or that will not connect
19to facilities under the functional control of a regional
20transmission operator.
21    (d) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to impair,
22abridge, or diminish in any way the powers, rights, and
23privileges of municipal corporations that are not incumbent
24electric transmission owners to partner with an incumbent
25electric transmission owner on the development and ownership
26of an electric transmission line included in a transmission

 

 

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1plan or to develop, construct, own, operate, maintain,
2upgrade, and renew facilities that are not included in a
3transmission plan but that are necessary or convenient in the
4provision of electric service, directly or indirectly, to
5citizens and businesses located in the service areas of
6municipal systems as that term is defined in Section 17 100,
7including the rights of such municipal systems and of
8municipal power agencies as defined in Section 11-119.1-3 of
9the Illinois Municipal Code to develop, construct, own,
10operate, maintain, upgrade, and renew such electric
11transmission lines and related facilities.
12    (e) Nothing in this Section shall relieve an incumbent
13electric transmission owner asserting its right to construct
14an electric transmission line, or its transmission affiliate
15as applicable, of the requirement to file an application for a
16certificate of convenience and necessity to the extent
17otherwise required by this Act.
18    (f) Within 90 days after the later of the effective date of
19this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly or approval
20of the construction of an electric transmission line by a
21regional transmission operator, an incumbent electric
22transmission owner otherwise authorized to engage in the
23construction under this Section may provide notice to the
24Commission and the applicable regional transmission operator
25indicating it will not construct any or all of the electric
26transmission line so approved, or it will assign any or all of

 

 

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1the construction to a transmission affiliate. If the notice is
2given and indicates the notifying incumbent electric
3transmission owner or its transmission affiliate will not
4construct any or all of the electric transmission line so
5approved, the incumbent electric transmission owner shall
6indicate the reason for that election, and the Commission may
7grant permission and approval for such construction to another
8entity otherwise qualified to own and operate the electric
9transmission line under this Act.
 
10    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11becoming law.