The Independent System Operator, in consultation with the California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, the Public Utilities Commission, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, and concerned regulatory agencies in other western states, shall within six months after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval of the Independent System Operator, provide a report to the Legislature and to the Oversight Board that does the following:
(a)
Conducts an independent review
and assessment of Western Electricity Coordinating Council operating reliability criteria.
(b)
Quantifies the economic cost of major transmission outages relating to the Pacific Intertie, Southwest Power Link, DC link, and other important high voltage lines that carry power both into and from California.
(c)
Identifies the range of cost-effective options that would prevent or mitigate the consequences of major transmission outages.
(d)
Identifies communication protocols that may be needed to be established to provide advance warning of incipient problems.
(e)
Identifies the need for additional generation reserves and other voltage support equipment, if any, or other resources that may be necessary to carry out its functions.
(f)
Identifies transmission capacity additions that may be necessary at certain times of the year or under certain conditions.
(g)
Assesses the adequacy of current and prospective institutional provisions for the maintenance of reliability.
(h)
Identifies mechanisms to enforce transmission right-of-way maintenance.
(i)
Contains recommendations regarding cost-beneficial improvements to electric system reliability for the citizens of California.