§ 39-1-27.7.1. Revenue decoupling.
(a) The general assembly finds and declares that electricity and gas revenues shall be
fully decoupled from sales pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and further
finds and declares that any decoupling proposal submitted by an electric distribution
company as defined in § 39-1-2(a)(12) or gas distribution company included as a public utility in § 39-1-2(a)(20) that has greater than one hundred thousand (100,000) customers, shall be for the
following purposes:
(1) Increasing efficiency in the operations and management of the electric and gas distribution
system;
(2) Achieving the goals established in the electric distribution company's plan for system
reliability and energy efficiency and conservation procurement as required pursuant
to § 39-1-27.7(d);
(3) Increasing investment in least-cost resources that will reduce long-term electricity
demand;
(4) Reducing risks for both customers and the distribution company including, but not
limited to, societal risks, weather risks, and economic risks;
(5) Increasing investment in end-use energy efficiency;
(6) Eliminating disincentives to support energy-efficiency programs;
(7) Facilitating and encouraging investment in utility infrastructure, safety, and reliability;
and
(8) Considering the reduction of fixed, recurring customer charges and transition to increased
unit charges that more accurately reflect the long-term costs of energy production
and delivery.
(b) Each electric distribution company as defined by § 39-1-2(a)(12) and gas distribution company included as a public utility in § 39-1-2(a)(20) having greater than one hundred thousand (100,000) customers shall file proposals
at the commission to implement the policy set forth in subsection (a) of this section.
The commission shall approve these proposals, provided they contain the features and
components set forth in subsection (c) of this section, and that they are consistent
with the intent and objectives contained in subsection (a) of this section. Actions
taken by the commission in the exercise of its ratemaking authority for electric and
gas rate cases shall be within the norm of industry standards and recognize the need
to maintain the financial health of the distribution company as a stand-alone entity
in Rhode Island.
(c) The proposals shall contain the following features and components:
(1) A revenue decoupling reconciliation mechanism that reconciles annually the revenue
requirement allowed in the company's base distribution-rate case to revenues actually
received for the applicable twelve-month (12) period. Any revenues over-recovered
or under-recovered shall be credited to, or recovered from, customers, as applicable;
and
(2) An annual infrastructure, safety, and reliability spending plan for each fiscal year
and an annual rate-reconciliation mechanism that includes a reconcilable allowance
for the anticipated capital investments and other spending pursuant to the annual
pre-approved budget as developed in accordance with subsection (d) of this section.
(d) Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, gas and electric distribution companies
shall consult with the division of public utilities and carriers regarding their infrastructure,
safety, and reliability spending plan for the following fiscal year, addressing the
following categories:
(1) Capital spending on utility infrastructure;
(2) For electric distribution companies, operation and maintenance expenses on vegetation
management;
(3) For electric distribution companies, operation and maintenance expenses on system
inspection, including expenses from expected resulting repairs; and
(4) Any other costs relating to maintaining safety and reliability that are mutually agreed
upon by the division and the company.
The distribution company shall submit a plan to the division and the division shall
cooperate in good faith to reach an agreement on a proposed plan for these categories
of costs for the prospective fiscal year within sixty (60) days. To the extent that
the company and the division mutually agree on a plan, such plan shall be filed with
the commission for review and approval within ninety (90) days. If the company and
the division cannot agree on a plan, the company shall file a proposed plan with the
commission and the commission shall review and, if the investments and spending are
found to be reasonably needed to maintain safe and reliable distribution service over
the short and long term, approve the plan within ninety (90) days.
(e) The commission shall have the following duties and powers, in addition to its existing
authorities established in this title:
(1) To maintain reasonable and adequate service-quality standards, after decoupling, that
are in effect at the time of the proposal and were established pursuant to § 39-3-7.
(2) The commission may exclude the low-income rate class from the revenue decoupling reconciliation-rate
mechanism for either electric or gas distribution. The commission also may exclude
customers in the large commercial and industrial rate class from the gas-distribution
mechanism.
(3) The commission may adopt performance incentives for the electric distribution company
that provide a shared-savings mechanism whereby the company would receive a percentage
of savings realized as a result of achieving the purposes of this section while the
remaining savings are credited to customers.
(4) The commission shall review and approve, with any necessary amendments, performance-based,
energy-savings targets developed and submitted by the Rhode Island energy efficiency
and resources management council. The performance-based targets shall also be used
as a consideration in any shared-savings mechanism established by the commission pursuant
to subsection (e)(3) of this section.
(f) The Rhode Island energy efficiency and resources management council shall propose
performance-based, energy-savings targets to the commission no later than September
1, 2010. The targets shall include, but not be limited to, specific energy kilowatt-hour
savings overall and peak-demand savings for both summer and winter peak periods expressed
in total megawatts as well as appropriate targets recommended in the opportunities
report filed with the commission pursuant to § 39-1-27.7(d)(3). The council shall revise, as necessary, these targets on an annual basis prior to
the reconciliation process established pursuant to subsection (c) of this section
and submit its revisions to the commission for approval.
(g) Reporting. Every electric distribution company, as defined in subsection (a) of this section,
shall report to the governor, general assembly, division of public utilities and carriers,
and public utilities commission on or before September 1, 2012. The report shall include,
but not be limited to, the following elements:
(1) A comparison of revenues from traditional rate regulation and how the revenues have
differed as part of an approved decoupling structure;
(2) A summary of how the company is achieving the performance-based targets that may have
been adopted pursuant to subsection (e)(4) of this section;
(3) A summary of any shared savings the company may have received pursuant to the performance
incentives authorized in subsection (e)(3) of this section;
(4) A summary of how the company is achieving the service-quality standards required in
subsection (e)(1) of this section;
(5) An overview of how decoupling is impacting revenue stabilization goals that have resulted
from decoupling; and
(6) A summary of any customer education programs provided.