The Maine Public Utilities Commission will discuss Versant Power Company’s application for adjustments of distribution rates and charges applicable to electric services. The ENMAX Corp. subsidiary seeks an increase in base revenues of $21.48 million, with a return on equity of 9.35 percent, phased over two years, with 50 percent of the increase applied on Oct. 1 and the remainder taking effect after a year. The change would apply evenly to all rate classes and components. 2020-00316

The Maryland Public Service Commission will hold its fourth meeting of the Future Programming Working Group to discuss a new goal structure for EmPOWER Maryland, the state’s energy efficiency program. The commission established the workgroup in December 2020 to ensure that upcoming program cycles are well-informed and fully developed. The current goal structure for EmPOWER is mandated by legislation through the end of the 2021-2023 program cycle and the commission is required to provide the General Assembly with recommendations on future goals and cost-effectiveness tests by July 1, 2022. The December order authorized the transition to the next three-year program cycle and approved various proposals by the program administrators to continue operating the core energy efficiency programs in 2021-2023. 9648

The District of Columbia Public Service Commission will hold a meeting of the Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation Task Force to discuss and review the Deep Retrofit Program, which is designed to assist affordable multifamily building owners with energy efficiency retrofit financing and other initiatives that would help minimize their buildings’ energy usage. In November 2020, the commission approved the task force’s recommendation to select the International Center for Appropriate & Sustainable Technology to implement the program. The program is funded by $11.25 million plus interest contained in the Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation fund that was reserved after the authorization of the Pepco-Exelon merger. FC1148

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is due to receive comments on system planning analysis proposals filed by the state’s electric distribution companies to implement its distribution system assessment process. The department opened a proceeding last October to assess optimal solutions for the interconnection of distributed generation facilities, taking a long-term perspective, and to examine methods for the assignment and recovery of costs associated with the grid connection of these resources. The department is also examining input from stakeholders and the distribution companies regarding a provisional system planning program to address imminent distributed generation interconnection cost allocation concerns. 20-75

The Kansas Corporation Commission will discuss Evergy Inc.’s updated presentation of its Sustainability Transformation Plan after incorporating feedback and results from earlier workshops and intervenor comments. Previous workshops focused on grid modernization investments, operational efficiencies, and enhanced customer experience. The commission launched a review of the company’s five-year strategic plan in August 2020, in order to evaluate its impacts on electric ratepayers. The plan, approved by Evergy’s Board of Directors last year, is designed to reduce operating and maintenance costs while increasing capital spending. The measure is expected to bring a rate base growth of 5 to 6 percent from 2019 to 2024 without requiring new equity. Evergy expects to invest about $4.8 billion over the period to upgrade transmission and distribution infrastructure and customer service platforms. 21-EKME-088-GIE

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission is due to receive comments on Avista Utilities’s integrated resource plans for electricity and gas service. The preferred strategy in the electric resource plan is expected to meet nearly three-quarters of the company’s goal to provide 100 percent clean energy by 2027. The plan includes a new chapter on energy equity with details to form an Equity Advisory Group in 2021. Acquiring about 375 megawatts of new clean energy resources by 2031, along with upgrades to its hydroelectric and biomass facilities, is expected to position Avista to meet or exceed Washington’s clean energy requirements. The 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act requires the state’s electricity supply to be carbon-neutral by 2030 and carbon-free by 2045, and directs electric utilities to phase out coal from their generation portfolio by 2025. The main focus of the natural gas plan is to meet customer needs under peak weather conditions in light of the recent weather events in Texas and California that resulted in the loss of a supply side resource. UE-200301