The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on March 31 issued a draft solicitation inviting proposals for public forums to consider energy affordability and equity for the state’s commercial and industrial customers. Last October, the agency opened an investigation into the topic of energy affordability for all customer classes following the approval of a framework for…...
The Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement reducing Ameren Missouri’s revenues for electric service by $32 million, starting April 1, according to a March 23 news release. The change will lower residential electric rates by about 1.15 percent. Ameren’s previous rate decrease in 2018 resulted in a six percent rate cut as part of…
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on March 20 rejected a request by Avista Corp., PacifiCorp, and Puget Sound Energy to recover $15.4 million in replacement power costs associated with the 2018 outage of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant in Montana. The commission found that the companies failed to prove that the costs for obtaining…...
Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced new commitments that resolve California Governor Gavin Newsom’s concerns about the utility’s reorganization to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to a March 20 press release. The commitments, concerning governance, operations, and financial structure, are designed to exit bankruptcy in a timely manner and participate in the state’s wildfire…...
Virginia has become the first state in the South to begin a clean energy transition with the passage of a sweeping energy bill that sets the state on the path to carbon-free power by 2050. The law replaces the voluntary renewable energy portfolio program with a mandatory standard, and paves the way for an enormous expansion of wind and solar power, energy storage, and energy efficiency.
Georgia Power Company seeks to reduce fuel rates by about 16 percent, driven primarily by projected decreases in natural gas prices, according to a March 9 filing with the Georgia Public Service Commission. The change would lower monthly residential bills by 4 percent or $5 for a customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month, beginning June…...
The California Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 27 proposed a fine of nearly $2.14 billion on Pacific Gas and Electric Company shareholders for the utility’s role in causing the catastrophic wildfires in its service territory in 2017 and 2018. The record penalty, imposed in an administrative law judge’s decision, is an increase of about $462…
The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 27 adopted reforms to enhance rules related to customer information disclosure and pricing practices for retail electricity service. The revisions are intended to provide customers with accurate, timely pricing information when they are shopping for electric service from competitive suppliers. The rule changes ban termination fees in the final…
Electric utilities and regulators across the U.S are increasingly considering time-varying rates as a means to reduce peak energy demand, utilize smart meter investments, and balance the grid amid the proliferation of distributed energy resources, including electric vehicles. Rate design that works in concert with the innovations in clean energy technology is critical to modernize the distribution grid.
PacifiCorp filed a general rate revision with the Oregon Public Utilities Commission, seeking an increase of about $78 million for its electric services and recovery of about $17.3 million related to the early closure of Unit 4 of the 395-megawatt Cholla coal power plant, according to a Feb. 14 filing. The company’s proposal to amortize…
Arizona corporate commissioners on Feb. 10 issued two sets of draft rules, paving the way for customers to participate in retail electric competition. The first draft would allow electric choice for all customers, while second would include eligibility restrictions. Following the initial draft issued last July, the Corporation Commission Chairman Robert Burns and Commissioner Justin…
Retail electric choice has garnered increased attention as more states are weighing the prospects of opening their electricity markets to retail competition. In states with retail choice programs, regulators continue to strengthen oversight, in a bid to ensure customer protection and satisfactory service from competitive suppliers. Recent actions range from Arizona regulators’ efforts to implement customer choice, to New York’s strengthening oversight of energy marketers, and the Florida Supreme Court’s rejecting an energy choice ballot initiative.