Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
All qualifying facilities and utilities shall enter into a
contractual arrangement regarding the terms and conditions of service and the rates
for purchase and sale. A qualifying facility may elect one of the three contractual
arrangements described in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) below.
a) Standard Energy Rate. The utility's standard
rate, required by Section
430.60, and the
associated terms and conditions described in Section
430.40 shall
constitute the basic contractual arrangement between a qualifying facility and a
utility.
b) Negotiated Energy Rate.
1) Any qualifying facility and utility may
negotiate a rate for purchase from the qualifying facility and other terms and
conditions of service consistent with this Part. The contractual arrangements under
a negotiated energy rate shall be nondiscriminatory with respect to service
contracts entered into between the utility and its customers with similar load
characteristics, without regard to whether such customers generate some or all of
their own electricity.
2) Energy
payments to the qualifying facility under a negotiated energy rate shall be
adjusted, to the extent practicable, for the following items if it can be reasonably
expected that the qualifying facility will produce, on the average, more than 73,000
kwh per month:
A) line losses - the contract shall
take into account the costs or savings resulting from variations in line losses from
those that would have existed in the absence of purchases from the qualifying
facility if the utility generated or purchased an equivalent amount of
energy;
B) reasonable scheduling of
maintenance at the convenience of the utility;
C) the availability of energy during system daily
and seasonal peak periods;
D) the
willingness of the qualifying facility to allow the utility to dispatch the
qualifying facility's generated energy at any given time and the ability of the
utility to utilize such dispatching capability;
E) the historical and predicted reliability of the
qualifying facility to provide energy during the periods described in (C) and (D)
above;
F) agreement between the utility
and the qualifying facility related to changes in ability of the qualifying facility
and/or the utility to carry out the terms of the contract.
3) Each qualifying facility providing energy under
this Section shall have the option of receiving avoided costs:
A) calculated at the time of delivery;
or
B) estimated to occur during the
contract term.
4) This
election shall be made prior to the beginning of the contract term.
c) Negotiated Energy and Capacity Rate.
1) Any qualifying facility and utility may
negotiate a rate for purchase from the qualifying facility which is based on the
avoidance of capacity and energy costs by the utility. To qualify for this rate, the
qualifying facility must enter into a legally enforceable contract to provide
capacity that:
A) allows the utility to defer a
capacity purchase from another source;
B) allows the utility to defer acquisition of a
facility or delay construction;
C)
allows the downsizing of an anticipated future addition; or
D) allows for the temporary sale of a portion of
an anticipated future addition in capacity.
2) The payment for the capacity and energy
purchases from the qualifying facility shall reflect the utility's total avoided
cost for the capacity and energy supplied by the qualifying facility. Any qualifying
facility who requests a negotiated energy and capacity rate shall provide to the
utility that information necessary to allow the utility to determine the amount of
capacity and energy avoidance which may occur. The utility shall inform the
qualifying facility, after receipt of the necessary information, of the value to the
utility of the capacity and energy to be supplied by the qualifying
facility.
3) The following items shall,
to the extent practicable, be taken into account in the determination of the
negotiated rate for energy and capacity purchases:
A) the length of any contract term;
B) reasonable scheduling of maintenance;
C) the willingness and ability of the qualifying
facility to provide firm capacity during system emergencies, and the historical
performance of the qualifying facility in providing firm capacity during system
emergencies;
D) the willingness and
ability of the qualifying facility to provide firm capacity during system peaks and
the historical performance of the qualifying facility in providing firm capacity
during system peaks;
E) the historical
and predicted reliability of the qualifying facility to provide capacity during the
periods described in (C) and (D) above;
F) agreements between the utility and the
qualifying facility related to changes in the ability of the qualifying facility
and/or the utility to carry out the terms of the contract;
G) the date the qualifying facility first began
providing capacity;
H) the historical
and predicted reliability of qualifying facilities as a class or group to provide
capacity during the periods described in (C) and (D) above;
I) on an annual basis, capacity payments to a
qualifying facility shall not exceed the utility's actual avoided costs;
J) those items listed in Section
430.80(b)(2)(A-F).
4) Each
qualifying facility providing energy and capacity under this Section shall have the
option of receiving avoided costs:
A) calculated
at time of delivery; or
B) estimated to
occur during the contract term.
5) This election shall be made prior to the
beginning of the contract term.
6) The
contractual arrangements under a negotiated energy and capacity rate shall be
nondiscriminatory with respect to service contracts entered into between the utility
and its customers with similar load characteristics, without regard to whether such
customers generate some or all of their own electricity.
d) The owner or operator of the qualifying
facility shall be billed for all energy sold by the utility according to the
applicable rate schedule, in accordance with the provisions of Sections
430.40(k)
and
430.60(b).
e) In the case in which a rate for purchase from a
qualifying facility is based upon estimates of avoided costs over the specific term
of the contract, such rate does not violate this Part if the rate for such purchase
differs from avoided costs at the time of delivery.