The District of Columbia Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on the performance incentive mechanisms working group report related to Potomac Electric Power Company’s multi-year rate plan. In June 2021, the commission approved the plan authorizing a revenue increase of $108.6 million spread over three years through 2023. The rate plan, adopted on a pilot basis, is structured to allow for tracking performance incentive mechanisms focused on climate and clean energy targets. The pilot is expected to inform the commission regarding the extent to which alternative ratemaking can benefit the district and better understand how to evaluate future proposals. The plan is designed to track the company’s performance through incentive mechanisms related to the district’s goals of achieving 100 percent renewable energy in 2032 and carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as a reliability tracking performance incentive mechanism. FC1156

The Maryland Public Service Commission will consider Delmarva Power & Light Company’s application for adjustments of distribution rates and charges applicable to electric services. The Exelon subsidiary is seeking an increase in distribution revenue of approximately $27 million and a return on equity of 10.10 percent, which would increase a residential customer’s monthly bill by $7.05, or by 4.6 percent, for customers consuming an average of 998 kilowatt-hour. 9670

The Virginia State Corporation Commission will consider Virginia Electric and Power Company’s proposed rate adjustment to recover incremental costs associated with its strategic underground program, or SUP. The Dominion Energy Inc. subsidiary seeks recovery of about $61.2 million for five phases that were previously approved and a revenue requirement of $34.7 million for its proposed sixth phase, for a combined amount of 95.9 million for the rate year of April 2022 through March 2023. The proposed rate would represent an increase of $2.53 for the average customer consuming 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month. PUR-2021-00110

The Maryland Public Service Commission will discuss cost effectiveness evaluations as part of EmPOWER Maryland, the state’s energy efficiency program. Last month, the state’s utilities and the Department of Housing and Community Development filed semi-annual reports of the program, analyzing the performance of their portfolios for the first half of the 2021 program year. 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. An order issued in December 2020 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 California Energy Commission will discuss its proposed natural gas research initiatives for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The workshop will include two sessions, the first focused on future research and budget requests for the Public-Interest Natural Gas Research and Development Program’s proposed energy-related initiatives. The second session will consider long-term gas research strategies to help decarbonize the state by 2045. The commission serves as the administrator of the gas research fund, which includes surcharges from customers receiving gas service from public utility corporations. The fund supports public interest research and development through the program, which is evaluated on an annual basis. Research areas covered by this year’s proposed budget include energy efficiency, targeted gas system decommissioning, decarbonization of gas end uses, and entrepreneur development. 16-PIER-01

The Utah Public Service Commission will discuss PacifiCorp’s 2021 integrated resource plan, which identifies the optimal mix of resources to serve customers over a 20-year planning horizon. The plan outlines accelerated coal retirements, no new fossil-fueled resources, conversion of coal units to gas peakers, renewable energy investments, and continued growth in energy efficiency programs. This is PacifiCorp’s first IRP to include new advanced nuclear and non-emitting peaking resources as part of its preferred portfolio, proposing to add 1,000 megawatts of advanced nuclear resources and 1,226 megawatts of non-emitting peaking resources through 2040. Over the planning period, the preferred portfolio includes 3,628 megawatts of new wind and 5,628 megawatts of new solar co-located with storage. The portfolio also includes additional transmission investment to facilitate the delivery of new renewable energy across the West. 21-035-09

The California Energy Commission will host a remote-access workshop to present and gather stakeholder feedback on its zero-emission vehicle infrastructure plan. The workshop will seek early input to inform the state’s pathway to deploying the infrastructure necessary to support the level of ZEV adoption needed to meet state goals. A 2020 executive order issued by Governor Gavin Newsom set a 100 percent ZEV target for new passenger vehicle sales by 2035 and medium-and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045. The California Air Resources Board is developing Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Fleets regulations to help the state achieve its climate and air quality goals. 21-TRAN-03

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. will hold a workshop of its Long-Range Transmission Planning initiative aimed to address challenges outlined in its Reliability Imperative, which seeks to prepare the region for a high penetration of renewables, with a focus on planning, markets, operations, and systems. The operator is considering a cost allocation proposal for transmission investments as part of the initiative, which is designed to provide a 20-year planning roadmap. The proposal recommends a bifurcated approach to allocate costs, taking into account the differences in the south region, and the north and central regions of the grid operator’s footprint, with the latter regions experiencing a high penetration of renewable resources. READ MORE