LOAD RESEARCH AND INTEGRATED LOCAL T-AND-D PLANNING

Similar to many U.S. utilities, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) faces rapidly increasing local transmission and distribution expenditures an d is developing a new local integrated resource planning process to li mit these expenditures. PG&E is integrating demand-side management pro grams with local area expansion plans to reduce load growth and defer expensive local area transmission and distribution upgrades. We show h ow detailed load research data are used in the new local integrated re source planning approach. Integrating demand-side management programs in the traditional expansion plan enables PG&E to reduce its planned i nvestment by 31% or $35 million in present value over a 20-year period , for a suburban area in Northern California.