The following interdependent standards shall govern the commission's assessment and approval of each public utility's restructuring plan, oversight of the transition process and regulation of the restructured electric utility industry:
(1) The commission shall ensure continuation of safe and reliable electric service to all consumers in the Commonwealth, including:
(i) The maintenance of adequate reserve margins by electric suppliers in conformity with the standards required by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) and the regional reliability council appropriate to each supplier, or any successors to those reliability entities, and in conformity with established industry standards and practices.
(ii) The installation and maintenance of transmission and distribution facilities in conformity with established industry standards and practices, including the standards set forth in the National Electric Safety Code.
(2) Consistent with the time line set forth in section 2806 (relating to implementation, pilot programs and performance-based rates), the commission shall allow customers to choose among electric generation suppliers in a competitive generation market through direct access. Customers should be able to choose among alternatives such as firm and interruptible service, flexible pricing and alternate generation sources, including reasonable and fair opportunities to self-generate and interconnect. These alternatives may be provided by different electric generation suppliers.
(3) The commission shall require the unbundling of electric utility services, tariffs and customer bills to separate the charges for generation, transmission and distribution. The commission may require the unbundling of other services.
(4) The following caps on electric utility rates shall apply:
(i) For a period of 54 months from the effective date of this chapter or until an electric distribution utility is no longer recovering its transition or stranded costs through a competitive transition charge or intangible transition charge and all the customers of an electric distribution utility can choose an alternative provider of electric generation, whichever is shorter:
(A) the total charges of an electric distribution utility for service to any customer who purchases generation from that utility shall not exceed the total charges that have been approved by the commission for such service as of the effective date of this chapter; and
(B) for customers who purchase generation from a supplier other than the electric distribution utility, the charges of the utility for non-generation services that are regulated as of the effective date of this chapter, exclusive of the competitive transition charge and intangible transition charge, shall not exceed the non-generation charges that have been approved by the commission for such service as of the effective date of this chapter.
(ii) In addition to the rate cap set forth in subparagraph (i), for a period of nine years from the effective date of this chapter or until an electric distribution utility is no longer recovering its transition or stranded costs through a competitive transition charge or intangible transition charge and all customers of an electric distribution utility can choose an alternative provider of electric generation, whichever is shorter, the generation component of a utility's charges to customers who purchase generation from the utility, including the competitive transition charge and intangible transition charge, shall not exceed the generation component charged to the customers that has been approved by the commission for such service as of the effective date of this chapter.
(iii) An electric distribution utility may seek, and the commission may approve, an exception to the limitations set forth in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) only in any of the following circumstances:
(A) The electric distribution utility meets the requirements for extraordinary rate relief under section 1308(e) (relating to voluntary changes in rates).
(B) Either the electric distribution utility is required to begin payment under contracts with nonutility generation projects that have received commission orders, has been unable to mitigate such costs, such costs are not recoverable in a competitive generation market and such costs were not previously covered in the competitive transition charge or intangible transition charge, or the utility prudently incurs costs related to cancellation, buyout, buydown or renegotiation of nonutility generating project obligations of the utility consistent with section 527 (relating to cogeneration rules and regulations) and such costs were not previously covered in the competitive transition charge or intangible transition charge. Costs related to cancellation, buyout, buydown or renegotiation shall be recovered from ratepayers over a period not to exceed three years, unless the commission determines within its discretion to require a longer recovery period due to the magnitude of such costs, but shall be accounted for by the utility on a levelized basis over the total period in which the generation portion of the utility's rates are capped.
(C) The electric distribution utility is subject to significant increases in the rates of Federal or State taxes or other significant changes in law or regulations that would not allow the utility to earn a fair rate of return.
(D) The electric distribution utility is subject to significant increases in the unit rate of fuel for utility generation or the price of purchased power that are outside of the control of the utility and that would not allow the utility to earn a fair rate of return.
(E) The electric distribution utility is directed by the commission or an independent system operator or its functional equivalent to make expenditures to repair or upgrade its transmission or distribution system.
(F) The electric distribution utility seeks to increase its allowance for nuclear decommissioning costs to reflect new information not available at the time the utility's existing rates were determined, and such costs are not recoverable in the competitive generation market and are not covered in the competitive transition charge or intangible transition charge, and such costs would not allow the utility to earn a fair rate of return.
(G) As permitted by paragraph (16).
(iv) Consistent with the requirements of due process, the commission may expedite proceedings that invoke the provisions of subparagraph (iii).
(v) If an electric distribution utility rolls its energy cost rate into base rates at a combined level that does not exceed its combined level of such rates which have been approved by the commission as of the effective date of this chapter, the utility shall not be required to reduce its capped rates below the capped level upon the complaint of any party if the commission determines that any excess earnings achieved under the cap are being utilized to mitigate transition or stranded costs for the benefit of ratepayers or to offset other known and measurable cost increases that would be recoverable under traditional ratemaking but are not included within the capped rates.
(vi) This paragraph shall not apply to new services offered for the first time after the effective date of this chapter.
(5) The commission may permit, but shall not require, an electric utility to divest itself of facilities or to reorganize its corporate structure.
(6) Consistent with the provision of section 2806, the commission shall require that a public utility that owns or operates jurisdictional transmission and distribution facilities shall provide transmission and distribution service to all retail electric customers in their service territory and to electric cooperative corporations and electric generation suppliers, affiliated or nonaffiliated, on rates, terms of access and conditions that are comparable to the utility's own use of its system.
(7) The commission shall require that restructuring of the electric utility industry be implemented in a manner that does not unreasonably discriminate against one customer class to the benefit of another.
(8) The commission shall establish for each electric utility an appropriate cost-recovery mechanism which is designed to fully recover the electric utility's universal service and energy conservation costs over the life of these programs.
(9) The commission shall ensure that universal service and energy conservation policies, activities and services are appropriately funded and available in each electric distribution territory. Policies, activities and services under this paragraph shall be funded in each electric distribution territory by nonbypassable, competitively neutral cost-recovery mechanisms that fully recover the costs of universal service and energy conservation services. The commission shall encourage the use of community-based organizations that have the necessary technical and administrative experience to be the direct providers of services or programs which reduce energy consumption or otherwise assist low-income customers to afford electric service. Programs under this paragraph shall be subject to the administrative oversight of the commission which will ensure that the programs are operated in a cost-effective manner.
(10) The commission shall establish rates for jurisdictional transmission and distribution services and shall continue to regulate distribution services for new and existing customers in accordance with this chapter and Chapter 13 (relating to rates and rate making).
(11) The time line for the transition to and phase-in of direct access to competitive electric generation shall be in accordance with section 2806.
(12) The commission has the authority to order utility participation in retail access pilot programs as set forth in section 2806 and as further implemented or modified by the commission, with direct access to begin on April 1, 1997. The commission shall conduct milestone reviews of the transition to retail electric generation competition to assure a technically workable and equitable transition period.
(13) Consistent with section 2808 (relating to competitive transition charge), the commission has the power and duty to approve a competitive transition charge for the recovery of transition or stranded costs it determines to be just and reasonable to recover from ratepayers.
(14) The transition to a competitive generation market shall be orderly, protect electric system reliability, be fair to ratepayers and provide the investors in Pennsylvania electric utilities with a fair opportunity to fully recover the amount of transition or stranded costs that the commission determines to be just and reasonable.
(15) At the time each utility files its restructuring plan with the commission, the utility shall submit an initial plan that sets forth how it shall meet its universal service and energy conservation obligations.
(16) The following shall apply:
(i) The commission shall issue regulations that permit the electric distribution company to recover any change in its State tax liability under sections 2806(h), 2809(c) (relating to requirements for electric generation suppliers) and 2810 (relating to revenue-neutral reconciliation) or in its liability under 52 Pa. Code §§ 69.51 through 69.56 (relating to inclusion of State taxes and gross receipts taxes in base rates) to the extent that the resulting rate does not exceed the rate cap established in this section except as provided in this chapter.
(ii) With regard to any portion of the change in an electric distribution company's tax liability under section 2810 which would cause it to exceed the rate cap, the electric distribution company may file a single issue rate proceeding under section 1308(a) to recover that amount. The commission shall adjudicate, within 60 days, whether the resulting rates are just and reasonable.
(iii) With regard to any portion of the change in an electric distribution company's tax liability under sections 2806(h) and 2809(c) which would cause it to exceed the price cap, upon certification to the commission by affidavit that the electric distribution company has not collected the taxes due pursuant to the tariff indemnification provisions required by section 2810(m) and that the electric distribution company and the Department of Revenue have not collected the taxes due pursuant to the other means set forth in sections 2806(g)(3)(i) and (ii) and 2809(c) to recover the taxes due and any interest thereon, the electric distribution utility shall be permitted to recover that amount in the State Tax Adjustment Surcharge.