CPUC staff seek clarity on SB 884 data template; utilities told to report latest project data through 'used and useful'

At a technical working group meeting, California Public Utilities Commission staff asked utilities to provide feedback on a draft SB 884 project‑list data template and said utilities must submit the most up‑to‑date information in phase 2 applications and in subsequent progress reports until a project is “used and useful.”

The template is intended to standardize how utilities report undergrounding project information so data are comparable, traceable and aligned with CPUC resolutions, CPUC staff presenter Amin Amrani said. That information will feed cost‑benefit calculations and oversight of Phase 2 applications and later progress reports.

The meeting focused on detailed questions PG&E and other stakeholders had submitted in writing: when and how cost‑benefit ratio (CBR) and unit‑cost forecasts should be updated; whether CapEx and OpEx fields should reflect lifetime or construction‑only costs; how to report pre‑ and post‑mitigation risk values; how to identify the granular “assets or systems” that a project affects; and how project, subproject and RRU identifiers should map across Energy Safety and CPUC datasets.

CPUC staff said utilities should submit the latest available or calculated data when filing a Phase 2 application and should repeat all table…