Oregon Administrative Rules
Chapter 860 - PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
Division 39 - NET METERING RULES
Section 860-039-0040 - Tier 4 Net Metering Interconnection Review

(1) The public utility must apply the Tier 4 review procedure for an application to interconnect a net metering facility that meets the following criteria:

(2) Following receipt of a Tier 4 application and within three business days of a request from the applicant, the public utility must provide pertinent information to the applicant, such as the available fault current at the proposed interconnection location, the existing peak loading on the lines in the general vicinity of the net metering facility, and the configuration of the distribution lines at the proposed point of common coupling.

(3) Within seven business days after receiving a complete application for Tier 4 interconnection review, the public utility must provide an impact study agreement to the applicant, which will include a non-binding, good faith cost estimate for an impact study to be performed by the public utility. The impact study will be conducted in accordance with good utility practice and must:

(4) After the applicant executes the impact study agreement and pays the public utility the amount of the good faith estimate, the public utility will complete the impact study and will notify the applicant within 30 calendar days of one of the following results:

(5) If the proposed interconnection may affect electric transmission or delivery systems other than those controlled by the public utility, operators of those other systems may require additional studies to determine the potential impact of the interconnection on those systems. If such additional studies are required, the public utility will coordinate the studies but will not be responsible for their timing. The applicant will be responsible for the costs of any such additional studies required by another affected system. Such studies will be conducted only after the applicant has provided written authorization.

(6) If an applicant requests a facilities study under subsection (4)(b), the public utility must provide an interconnection facilities study agreement. The interconnection facilities study agreement must describe the work to be undertaken in the interconnection facilities study and must include a non-binding, good faith estimate of the cost to the applicant for completion of the study. Upon the execution by the applicant of the interconnection facilities study agreement, the public utility will conduct an interconnection facilities study to identify the facilities necessary to safely interconnect the net metering facility with the public utility's electric distribution system, and to propose a non-binding, good faith estimate of the cost of those facilities and the time required to build and install those facilities.

(7) Upon completion of an interconnection facilities study, the public utility must provide the applicant with the results of the study and an executable interconnection agreement. The agreement must list the conditions and facilities necessary for the net metering facility to safely interconnect with the public utility's electric distribution system, and must include a non-binding, good faith estimate of the cost of those facilities and the estimated time required to build and install those facilities.

(8) If the applicant wishes to interconnect, it must execute the interconnection agreement and return it to the public utility at least 10 business days prior to starting operation of the net metering facility (unless the public utility does not so require), pay a deposit of not more than 50 percent of the estimated cost of the facilities identified in the interconnection facilities study, complete installation of the net metering facility, and agree to pay the public utility the actual installed cost of the facilities needed to interconnect as identified in the interconnection facilities study.

(9) Within 15 business days after notice from the applicant that the net metering facility has been installed, the public utility will inspect the net metering facility and will arrange to witness any commissioning tests required under IEEE standards. The public utility and the applicant will select a date by mutual agreement for the public utility to witness commissioning tests.

(10) If the net metering facility satisfactorily passes required commissioning tests, if any, the public utility must notify the applicant in writing, within three business days after the tests, of one of the following:

(11) If the commissioning tests are not satisfactory, the applicant will repair or replace the unsatisfactory equipment and reschedule a commissioning test.