July 6, 2026
Resource: Electric Load Forecasting Across California Regulatory Agencies and CAISO
By Claire Huang and Michael Quiroz
Summary
The California Energy Commission (CEC), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) work together to forecast the state’s energy demand and capacity needs through interrelated regulatory processes, including:
- CEC’s Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR)
- CAISO’s Flexible and Local Capacity Needs Assessments
- CPUC’s Resource Adequacy (RA) Program
- CPUC Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Program
The forecasts developed and refined through these processes ultimately inform load-serving entity procurement obligations. As such, it is important to understand the mechanisms by which agencies anticipate load growth and the opportunities for non-agency stakeholders to provide input.
This resource includes a flowchart illustrating the four above forecasting processes and a detailed narrative intended to supplement the flowchart.
