CAISO Queue Cluster 16 Request for Information

Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) for resources seeking interconnection in CAISO's Queue Cluster 16 process. RCEA seeks to allocate its Commercial Interest Capacity—a total of 22 MW of Transmission Plan Deliverability (TPD) capacity (with a maximum single-project TPD allocation of 34 MW) and 11 MW of Energy-Only allocation—to eligible clean generation projects. The RFI targets California Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) qualifying generating resources that are either standalone or paired with energy storage. Projects must be in CAISO’s Cluster 16 interconnection queue process and must have secured sufficient site control to satisfy CAISO requirements.

RCEA serves an average annual retail load of 550 GWh with average peak demands of 85 MW (summer) and 100 MW (winter). The authority expresses a descending order of locational preference: first Humboldt County or the Humboldt Local Capacity Area, second NP-15 (Northern California in CAISO), and third elsewhere in CAISO. Location preference is a weighted evaluation factor, and respondents are encouraged to scale their proposed capacity to match RCEA’s load profile and the available Commercial Interest Capacity. Respondents should also provide indicative commercial terms for multiple offtake capacities.

Evaluation criteria are weighted across four categories: Development risk (including ≥90% site control, interconnection, permitting, and procurement) carries a weight of 30 out of 100 points; Portfolio fit, indicative pricing, and compliance value carries 25 points; Respondent experience, qualifications, and creditworthiness carries 25 points; Location, environmental impact, and community benefits carries 20 points. Responses will be scored on a zero-to-five scale per criterion by an evaluation committee, and the highest-scoring responses may be selected for all or a portion of RCEA’s Commercial Interest Capacity.

Additionally, RCEA is a member of California Community Power (CC Power), which issued a solicitation on October 20, 2025 for clean generation and capacity resources. RCEA may award Commercial Interest Capacity to Cluster 16 projects that submitted bids and entered exclusivity arrangements with CC Power, using substantially similar evaluation factors while accounting for the unique benefits of the joint CC Power procurement. No submission deadline or publication date is specified in this document.