The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive reply comments on its investigation into the potential benefits of retail competition to customers in the Long Island electricity market. The commission seeks responses to a series of questions including potential opportunities for retail competition, best practices to inform discussions on the topic, ways to address barriers to creating the market, as well as protections for mass market and low-income customers. Comments are also sought on potential downstream benefits, such advantages relating to community choice aggregation. 15-02754

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities will discuss revised model interconnection tariffs filed by the state’s electric distribution companies. Unitil Corp., National Grid plc, and Eversource Energy submitted the revisions addressing the department’s directives issued last year. The revisions follow the department’s investigation into grid connection standards in response to an increase in the number of interconnection studies resulting from the cumulative impact of distributed generation. The department clarified the interplay between the interconnection tariff and affected system operator study process by establishing requirements for additional information that utilities must provide to interconnecting customers, setting clear timelines for various processes, and addressing the processing costs associated with such studies. 20-63

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority will consider electric distribution companies’ preparedness and response to Tropical Storm Isaias. The agency launched an investigation in August to review the companies’ implementation of their emergency restoration plans and assess whether they complied with applicable standards. The review will consider outage prediction, storm preparedness, staffing and equipment adequacy, communications, and restoration management, among other issues. The storm caused widespread outages and substantial damage to the electric distribution system. 20-08-03

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is due to receive comments on Petroleum Fuels Company’s application for a pipeline that would transport gas from a renewable natural gas processing facility to be constructed to process landfill gas extracted from the Republic Services Pine Bend Landfill into Xcel Energy’s high-pressure gas system. The PFC Midstream subsidiary expects the project to come online by the end of June 2021. PPL-20-872

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will discuss NW Natural’s application for adjustments of retail rates and charges applicable to natural gas services. The Northwest Natural Holding subsidiary filed a two-year rate plan, starting from Nov. 1, seeking an increase in base revenues of $6.3 million in the first year, or 8 percent, and $3.2 million in the second year, or 3.7 percent, while maintaining a return on equity of 9.4 percent. In light of the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the proposal also includes offsetting measures that reduce the overall increase in the first year to $3.9 million, or 5 percent. UG-200994

The Kansas Corporation Commission will discuss Evergy Inc.’s Sustainability Transformation Plan with a focus on enhanced customer experience. The commission launched a review of the company’s five-year strategic plan in August, in order to evaluate its impacts on electric ratepayers. The plan, which is designed to drive increased value and benefits the company’s stakeholders, includes a focus on grid modernization, renewable energy investment, and cost management. The measure is expected to bring a rate base growth of 5 to 6 percent from 2019 to 2024 without requiring new equity. Under the plan, the company seeks to invest about $4.8 billion over the next five years to upgrade transmission and distribution infrastructure and customer service platforms. READ MORE