1. A. Electric System Plan Frequency.

   1. (1) Electric companies shall retain flexibility to determine the frequency of their respective electric system plan that best aligns with their internal planning cycles and considerations based upon their unique processes, system characteristics, and customer needs.
   2. (2) An electric company’s electric system plan publishing frequency shall be at least once every 3 years.
   3. (3) Electric companies shall publish a preliminary electric system plan and the electric system plan on the electric companies’ websites and file these plans with the Commission under the electric system plan docket assigned to each electric company.
   4. (4) An electric company shall file an annual electric system plan update during the years in which a complete electric system plan is not filed.
   5. (5) An electric company shall redact all confidential information from the electric system plan published to its website or otherwise submitted on a public basis, however, a full version of the electric system plan, including any confidential information, shall be filed with the Commission in accordance with the Commission’s rules for filing confidential material, unless otherwise restricted from doing so by applicable law.

2. B. Annual Electric System Plan Update.

   1. (1) Electric companies shall include the following annual electric system plan updates:

      1. (a) A narrative describing the existing planning and forecasting processes, current capabilities that exist, and plans for potential future improvements;
      2. (b) Relevant planning criteria utilized to identify system constraints;
      3. (c) Description of any new market or policy conditions that are impacting the planning environment and how they plan to incorporate them into future planning;
      4. (d) Description of any updates to system constraints or constraint solutions that may have changed from the previous year, including, but not limited to, updates on progress regarding projects and programs that have changed from the previous year and rationale for the change;
      5. (e) A report using a common framework for electric company reporting as directed by the Commission, with information regarding the current status of projects designed to promote State policy goals identified in Public Utilities Article, §7-802, Annotated Code of Maryland, including information on planning processes and implementation that promote these goals; and
      6. (f) Electric system plan targets and planning metrics pursuant to Regulation .05 of this chapter.
   2. (2) Electric companies shall file an annual electric system plan update no less than 75 days prior to the annual technical conference.
   3. (3) In the year an electric company files a preliminary electric system plan, an annual electric system plan update is not required.

3. C. Data Collection: Electric companies shall identify a discrete opportunity to collect stakeholder inputs for consideration in the electric system plan.

   1. (1) The electric company shall provide an overview of the already-collected data including data sources.
   2. (2) Electric companies shall provide a method for collecting this data.
   3. (3) Electric companies shall provide a list of the parties they engaged as part of their published electric system plan.
4. D. Align Inputs and Assumptions. Electric companies shall develop electric system planning inputs and assumptions or develop forecasts, scenarios, or other electric system planning criteria and identify a discrete opportunity for stakeholders and other persons to provide feedback.
5. E. Run Analyses. Electric companies shall run analyses using data, planning inputs, and assumptions while considering stakeholder and other person feedback from §§C and D of this regulation and provide a preliminary electric system plan in years that an electric system plan is due.

6. F. Provide Preliminary Electric System Plan.

   1. (1) Electric companies shall include the following in their preliminary electric system plan:

      1. (a) Lessons learned and process improvements from the previous electric system plan cycle;
      2. (b) A narrative describing the existing electric system planning process, current capabilities, and plans for potential future changes including the methodology used to develop aggregate electric distribution-level net load forecasts;
      3. (c) Descriptions of electric system planning scenarios describing the data used as inputs and assumed adoption rates used for load and DER forecasting;
      4. (d) Summary of feedback received in §§C and D of this regulation;
      5. (e) Electric company response to feedback received in §§C and D of this regulation;
      6. (f) Any change in system constraints since the last electric system plan;
      7. (g) The nature, magnitude, and timing of system constraints;

      8. (h) System constraint solutions that have not yet been initiated as projects, including:

         1. (i) Projected timeline for solution implementation to address system constraints and policy targets over the forecast period; and
         2. (ii) Implementation interdependencies with current and identified system constraint solutions and other electric company projects;
      9. (i) Cost-effectiveness analysis for identified system constraint solutions, if applicable;
      10. (j) A description of the final methodology, inputs, and results of the analyses;
      11. (k) Locational value for each identified system constraint; and
      12. (l) Electric system plan targets and planning metrics pursuant to Regulation .05 of this chapter.
   2. (2) The preliminary electric system plan shall be published to align with the electric system plan frequency pursuant to §A of this regulation.
   3. (3) An electric company shall publish on its website and file with the Commission its preliminary electric system plan no less than 75 days prior to the annual technical conference.

7. G. Comments Filed By Parties.

   1. (1) Comments shall be filed by any stakeholders or other persons no less than 30 days prior to the annual technical conference.
   2. (2) Stakeholders and electric companies shall have the opportunity to obtain discovery.
8. H. Annual Technical Conference. The annual technical conference shall provide a venue for stakeholders and other persons to comment on the assumptions, inputs, and results of the preliminary electric system plan and annual electric system plan update.

9. I. Electric Companies’ Consideration of Feedback.

   1. (1) The Commission may provide an order noting the preliminary electric system plan after an annual technical conference which may include direction for the electric companies.
   2. (2) Electric companies shall evaluate any feedback received from the Commission in any order following the annual technical conference.
   3. (3) Electric companies shall evaluate feedback received from stakeholders in §§C, D, G, and H of this regulation.
   4. (4) Within 90 days of the annual technical conference, except as otherwise required by the Commission, electric companies shall publish on their website and file a response to stakeholder and other person feedback with the Commission, including what stakeholder and other person proposals will be considered or not considered in the development of the electric system plan and the reasoning for these decisions under the electric system plan docket assigned to each electric company.
10. J. Electric System Plan Publishing. Electric companies shall publish a final electric system plan under the electric system plan docket assigned to each electric company after the consideration of feedback in Regulation .04I of this chapter.

Authority: Public Utilities Article, §§1-101, 2-113, 2-121, 7-216, and 7-801—7-804, Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: November 24, 2025 (52:23 Md. R. 1140)