Washington Commission Declined to Increase Avista’s Avoided Costs

At the March 10, 2022 Open Meeting, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (the Commission) approved Avista’s avoided cost Schedule 62 tariff filing in Docket No. UE-210815.  [Read more…]

Oregon Commission Denied Idaho Power Company’s Request to Waive the Competitive Bidding Rules

At the March 8, 2022 Public Meeting, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (the Oregon Commission) denied Idaho Power Company’s (Idaho Power) waiver request of Oregon’s competitive bidding rules. Oregon’s competitive bidding rules lay out the process for a Request for Proposals (RFP) when a utility will acquire resources of an aggregate of 80 megawatts for five years or more and require an Independent Evaluator to oversee the RFP process.  [Read more…]

Oregon Updates Community Solar Rules on Dispute Resolution and Status Revocation

On March 8, 2022, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (the Commission) updated its community solar program (CSP) rules to clarify the procedures for dispute resolution and status revocation. Community solar allows ratepayers to support solar projects by subscribing to a share of a project’s output. The Oregon Solar + Storage Industries Association (OSSIA) was the only stakeholder to provide written comments. OSSIA and Commission Staff reached agreement on almost all of the proposed rule language.  [Read more…]

OPUC Adopted New Rules Related to Small-Scale Renewable Energy Mandate

On December 15, 2021, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (the Commission) adopted new rules outlining electric utilities’ compliance with the small-scale renewable energy mandate in Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 469A.210. Oregon House Bill 2021 increased the percentage of the utility’s aggregate electrical capacity that must come from eligible small-scale renewable projects from eight percent to ten percent. House Bill 2021 also expanded the compliance deadline from 2025 to 2030.  [Read more…]

Washington Commission Approves PSE Interconnection Tariff

The Washington Utility and Transportation Commission (Washington Commission) approved a new interconnection tariff for Puget Sound Energy (PSE). PSE’s new tariff is only available to state jurisdictional qualifying facilities (QFs) interconnecting and selling power to PSE under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), and provides a third, lower cost option for interconnection service.  [Read more…]