PA HB705

Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission must issue guidelines within 180 days for electric distribution companies to prepare grid infrastructure development plans addressing security, resilience, and growing demand from EVs, data centers, and other large-load customers

Electric distribution companies must file grid infrastructure development plans within one year, covering cyber/physical threat protection, grid modernization technologies (energy storage, microgrids, EV charging stations, advanced metering), and electrification of public transit and government fleets

Plans must be developed in consultation with PennDOT, DEP, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, local governments, underserved community representatives, and grid security experts

Commission must approve or disapprove plans within 180 days of submission; utilities may recover reasonable implementation costs through commission-approved tariff riders or base rates

Updated plans required every five years, with infrastructure deployment prioritized for underserved communities (high-poverty census tracts, areas with high free/reduced lunch eligibility, and grid-vulnerable areas)