CHAPTER 474
An Act to require certain electric and gas utilities to furnish information to the State Corporation Commission about Virginia’s energy infrastructure.
Approved April 2, 2002
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. § 1. For purposes of monitoring the adequacy of the energy infrastructure within the Commonwealth, the State Corporation Commission shall convene a work group to study the feasibility, effectiveness, and value of collecting, for the period commencing January 1, 1996, and ending December 31, 2001, and for periods subsequent to December 31, 2001, the following data or any other data pertaining to Virginia’s energy infrastructure:
A. For every generator of electric energy operating within the Commonwealth, the following electric generation data: (i) an inventory of generating units located within the control area of the utility, including size, location, fuel type, heat rates, and megawatts of each unit, (ii) the historical generating capabilities of each unit compared to actual operating parameters, including hours a unit was offline and reasons therefor, forced and planned curtailment levels, and hourly generation by unit, and (iii) total hourly load in the control area compared to the total hourly load in Virginia;
B. For every incumbent electric utility, as defined in § 56-576 of the Code of Virginia, the following electric transmission data: (i) individual line transfer capabilities at control area interfaces, (ii) aggregate transfer capabilities, including the degree to which the capabilities were reserved and the actual use of such capabilities, (iii) hours during which bulk transmission facilities were offline and the reasons therefor, (iv) actions taken to relieve transmission overload, and (v) hourly flows into and out of the control areas;
C. For every gas transmission company operating within the Commonwealth, the following data: (i) a description and map of each interstate and intrastate gas transmission line and associated facilities in Virginia, (ii) the transmission capability of each facility, including the amount dedicated to Virginia and outside Virginia, (iii) the additional load each pipeline is capable of serving and the aggregate load each company’s facilities are capable of carrying, (iv) the actual gas flows into and out of Virginia for each facility and the aggregate flows into and out of Virginia for all facilities, (v) total gas storage capability located in Virginia and outside Virginia that is dedicated to Virginia load, (vi) operational flow orders issued and reasons therefor, and (vii) expansion projects planned and the expected capacity enhancements in Virginia resulting from such expansion; and
D. For every public utility authorized to furnish natural gas service in Virginia, the number of requests for curtailment issued by such utility and a description of the reasons therefor.
§ 2. The work group shall consist of representatives of electricity generators,
incumbent electric utilities, gas transmission companies, gas local distribution
companies, State Corporation Commission staff, and other appropriate persons. The
Commission shall report the results of the work group’s study, not later than
December 1, 2002, to the Legislative Transition Task Force established pursuant
to § 56-595 of the Code of Virginia.
§ 3. The State Corporation Commission shall not release any of the information that may be collected pursuant to this act; however, this prohibition shall not be construed to prohibit the Commission from releasing such information in the aggregate on an industry-wide, statewide or other basis that does not permit the identification of data specific to a single entity.