2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 15 - ENERGY CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT › CHAPTER 8.9 - Strategic Reliability Reserve › ARTICLE 4 - Strategic Reliability Reserve Fund › Section 25793.

25793. (a) The Strategic Reliability Reserve Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in the fund and the accounts contained in the fund are hereby continuously appropriated without regard to fiscal year to be expended by the commission for purposes of adding resources to the electrical grid to ensure electrical grid reliability and support the clean energy transition.
(b) The Distributed Electricity Backup Assets Account is hereby created in the fund, to be administered by the commission to implement the Distributed Electricity Backup Assets Program in accordance with Article 2 (commencing with Section 25791).
(c) The Demand Side Grid Support Account is hereby created in the fund, to be administered by the commission to implement the Demand Side Grid Support Program in accordance with Article 3 (commencing with Section 25792). Revenue generated by the sale of energy services within the Demand Side Grid Support Program shall be deposited into the Demand Side Grid Support Account.
(d) The commission may accept nonstate moneys, including, but not limited to, federal moneys, for purposes of this chapter.
(e) The commission shall adopt emergency regulations to implement this chapter at a commission business meeting. Notwithstanding Sections 11346.1 and 11349.6 of the Government Code, a finding of emergency or necessity to address an emergency shall not be required. Notwithstanding any other law, these emergency regulations shall be valid for three years, or until replaced by nonemergency regulations, whichever is sooner.
(f) The executive director, or a designee, of the commission may approve any contract, grant, or loan entered into for purposes of this chapter until October 31, 2023. After October 31, 2023, any contract, grant, or loan entered into for purposes of this chapter shall be approved in a commission meeting held consistent with Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 25200). For any contract, grant, or loan entered into for purposes of this chapter, no later than 10 days after the commission, executive director, or their designee, approves the contract, grant, or loan, the executive director of the commission shall give written notice to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee of the action.
(g) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, a contract, grant, or loan entered into for purposes of this chapter for an activity that is needed for ensuring electrical grid reliability by October 31, 2023, shall not require competitive bidding, or the review, consent, or approval of the Department of General Services or any other state department or agency and is not required to comply with the requirements of the State Contracting Manual, the Public Contract Code, or the personal services contracting requirements of Article 4 (commencing with Section 19130) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Division 5 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(2) This subdivision does not apply to any contract, grant, or loan entered into for purposes of this chapter that is not needed for ensuring electrical grid reliability by October 31, 2023.
(3) This subdivision is inoperative on November 1, 2023.
(h) Notwithstanding any other law, the commission may pay an incentive up front if not doing so would inhibit participation in the programs established pursuant to this chapter.
(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 131, Sec. 179. (AB 1754) Effective January 1, 2024.)