220 ILCS 5/16-105.10

(220 ILCS 5/16-105.10)

Sec. 16-105.10. Independent baseline assessment.

(a) Prior to the filing of the initial Multi-Year Integrated Grid Plan described in Section 16-105.17 of this Act, the General Assembly finds that an independent audit of the current state of the grid, and of the expenditures made since 2012, will need to be made.

Specifically, the General Assembly finds:

(1) Pursuant to the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act and subsequent clarifying legislation, electric utilities in this State that serve over 300,000 retail customers have made substantial investments in the grid and advanced metering infrastructure.

(2) Before a Multi-Year Integrated Grid Plan is filed under Section 16-105.17, it is necessary to understand the benefits of these investments to the grid and to customers and to evaluate the current condition of the distribution grid.

(3) It is also necessary for electric utilities, the Commission, and stakeholders to have an independently verified set of data to establish the baseline for future distribution grid spending.

(4) The Commission has authority to order and implement the requirements of this Section under Section 8-102 of this Act.

(b) Terms used in this Section have the meanings given to those terms in Sections 16-102, 16-107.6, and 16-108 of this Act.

(c) Within 30 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly, the Commission shall issue an order initiating an audit of each electric utility serving over 300,000 retail customers in the State, which shall examine the following:

(1) An assessment of the distribution grid, as described in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this Section. The Commission shall have the authority to require additional items which it deems necessary.

(2) An analysis of the utility's capital projects placed into service in the preceding 9 years, including, but not limited to, assessing the value of deploying advanced metering infrastructure to modernize and optimize the grid and deliver value to customers.

(3) An analysis of the utility's initiatives to optimize the reliability and resiliency of the grid, other than through capital spending.

(4) Creation of a data baseline to inform the beginning of the multi-year integrated grid planning process described in Section 16-105.17 of this Act.

(5) Identification of any deficiencies in data which may impact the planning process.

(d) It is contemplated that the auditor will utilize materials filed with the Commission by the utilities with respect to their expenditures in the preceding 9 years; however, the auditor may also, with Commission approval, assess other information deemed necessary to make its report.

(e) The results of the audit described in this Section shall be reflected in a report delivered to the Commission, describing the information specified in this Section. Such report is to be delivered no later than 180 days after the Commission enters its order pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section. It is understood that any public report may not contain items that are confidential or proprietary.

(f) The costs of an electric utility's audit described in this Section shall not exceed $500,000 and shall be paid for by the electric utility that is the subject of the audit. Such costs shall be a recoverable expense.

(g) The Commission shall have the authority to retain the services of an auditor to assist with the distribution planning process, as well as in docketed proceedings. Such expenses for these activities shall also be borne by the Commission.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)