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Utah Administrative Code (Current through November 1, 2019) |
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R746. Public Service Commission, Administration |
R746-430. Procedural and Informational Requirements for Action Plans, for an Approval of a Significant Energy Resource, for Determination of Whether to Proceed, and for Waivers of a Solicitation Process or of an Approval of a Significant Energy Resource
| R746-430-1. Definition and Filing of Action Plan |
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Definition: "Action Plan" means a plan, prepared or updated in anticipation of the acquisition of the Affected Utility's significant energy resource(s) under the Energy Resource Procurement Act, Utah Code Title 54 Chapter 17, outlining actions and specific resource decisions intended to implement an Affected Utility's Integrated Resource Plan consistent with the utility's strategic business plan. (1) Filing of an Action Plan- As soon as practicable after development of its Integrated Resource Plan or as part of the development of an Integrated Resource Plan, each Affected Utility shall file with the Commission an Action Plan. The Affected Utility shall include with the Action Plan the following: (a) Information showing the Affected Utility's analysis and conclusions by which it identified and selected the actions and significant energy resources which will be pursued through the Action Plan consistent with the Energy Resource Procurement Act, Utah Code Title 54, Chapter 17; (b) Identification of the Integrated Resource Plan used in the development of the Action Plan, including information showing how the Action Plan is consistent with the Integrated Resource Plan or why deviations have been made; (c) Identification of all data, models and information used to develop the Action Plan, including, but not limited to, the Affected Utility's costs, risk and scenario analysis, methodologies and assumptions used to develop the Action Plan; and (d) Identification of the means, whether included or not included in the Action Plan, by which the Affected Utility may enable changes to the actions and significant energy resource(s) pursued through the Action Plan, which changes may be warranted as the Affected Utility prepares and pursues future Integrated Resource Plans or may revise actions and significant energy resources in future Action Plans. (2) Procedure on an Action Plan- Upon the filing of an Action Plan: (a) The Commission shall set and give notice of a scheduling conference to set a schedule which will identify the time period during which interested parties may obtain information to prepare comments on the Action Plan, set the date upon which comments shall be provided to the Commission and other interested parties, and set a date upon which reply comments may be made to the comments previously filed. (b) The Commission may, but is not required to, hold hearings in connection with the Action Plan for the purpose of the Commission's review and guidance. (3) Affect of Review or Guidance - Nothing in these rules requires any acknowledgment, acceptance or order pertaining to the Action Plan submitted. Any review or guidance provided by the Commission shall not be binding on the Affected Utility and shall not be construed as approval of any action or resource identified in the Action Plan. The Affected Utility's response to any Commission review or guidance may be considered by the Commission in connection with any other request or filing made by the Affected Utility under the Energy Resource Procurement Act, Utah Code Title 54, Chapter 17. |
| R746-430-2. Approval of a Significant Energy Resource |
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(1) Filing Requirements- When an Affected Utility files a request to approve a Significant Energy Resource pursuant to Section 54-17-302, the utility shall include with its request the following: (a) Information to demonstrate the utility has complied with the requirements of the Energy Resource Procurement Act and Commission rules; (b) Information to demonstrate whether approval of the selected Significant Energy Resource is in the public interest; (c) Information regarding the solicitation process, if the Significant Energy Resource was solicited through a solicitation process, including, but not limited to: (i) Summaries of all bids received; (ii) Summaries of the Affected Utility's rankings and evaluations of bids; (iii) Copies of all reports relating to the solicitation process made by an independent evaluator who may have been involved with the solicitation process; (iv) A copy of the complete Commission approved Solicitation with appendices, attachments and drafts, if applicable; and (v) A signed acknowledgment from a utility officer involved in the solicitation that to the best of his or her knowledge, the utility fully observed and complied with the requirements of the Commission's rules or statutes applicable to the solicitation process; (d) Identification of all information, data, models and analyses used by the Affected Utility to evaluate the acquisition of the Significant Energy Resource if the acquisition is pursuant to Section 54-17-201(3), or to evaluate and rank bids and the selected resource, if the acquisition is by a solicitation process pursuant to Section 54-17-201(2); (e) Contracts proposed for execution or use in connection with the acquisition of the Significant Energy Resource and identification of matters for which contracts are being negotiated or remain to be negotiated; (f) Information on the estimated costs for the Significant Energy Resource, including but not limited to engineering studies, data, and models used in the analysis, and any other costs which the utility considers recoverable pursuant to Section 54-17-303; (g) An analysis of the estimated effects the Significant Energy Resource will have on the Affected Utility's revenue requirement; (h) Financial information demonstrating adequate financial capability to obtain the Significant Energy Resource pursuant to the proposed acquisition; (i) Identification of all other relevant information in support of the requested approval; and (j) If the Commission has not previously issued a Protective Order in the approval request proceeding, a Proposed Protective Order, using the Commission's standard Protective Order, which may be used to facilitate access to information which may be claimed as confidential or protected. (2) Procedure to Approve a Significant Energy Resource and Its Acquisition. (a) If the Affected Utility is contemplating acquiring a Significant Energy Resource through a solicitation process, after it has completed its evaluation of bids but prior to filing a request to approve a Significant Energy Resource, the utility shall provide a written notification to the Commission of the Significant Energy Resources it has selected from the bids and the reasoning for the utility's selection of those resources. (b) The Affected Utility may negotiate a proposed final agreement for the acquisition of the proposed Significant Energy Resource at any time, however, any such agreement shall be expressly conditional on the final decision of the Commission in the approval proceeding. (c) The Affected Utility shall file a request for approval of a Significant Energy Resource as soon as practicable after completion of the utility's decision to select the resource. (i) Prior to filing the request for approval of a Significant Energy Resource, the Affected Utility shall provide public notice of its intent to file the request and seek approval of the Significant Energy Resource from the Commission. (ii) After the filing of the request, the Commission will schedule and provide notice of a Scheduling Conference to set a schedule for the proceedings, including a public hearing, through which it will consider the requested approval of the Significant Energy Resource. (d) Any agreement for the acquisition of a Significant Energy Resource shall be submitted to the Commission for approval. The Commission will set a schedule to accept comments and reply comments from interested persons and the Affected Utility concerning whether the agreement complies with any Commission orders or Commission conditions relating to the Significant Energy Resource which will be acquired through the agreement. (e) The Affected Utility shall maintain a complete record of analyses and evaluations, including spreadsheets and models materially relied upon by the utility, all materials submitted to the Commission and the Independent Evaluator and all materials submitted in response to discovery requests during any proceedings to approve a Significant Energy Resource and its acquisition for at least ten years after the date of a Commission order approving an agreement to acquire the Significant Energy Resource. A party to a proceeding may petition the Commission to require specified additional material to be maintained for a specified time. |
| R746-430-3. Requests for a Determination of Whether to Proceed with an Approved Significant Energy Resource In the Event of Change in Circumstances or Costs |
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(1) Filing of a Request- When an Affected Utility seeks a Commission review and determination, pursuant to Section 54-17-304, of whether it should proceed with an approved Significant Energy Resource decision, the utility shall file with its request the following: (a) Information concerning the nature and cause of the change of circumstances or projected costs, including, but not limited to, when and how the Affected Utility became aware of the change of circumstances or projected costs and any actions it has taken; (b) Information concerning all costs incurred by the utility or to be incurred by the utility if the Commission determines that the utility should not proceed with the approved Significant Energy Resource, including those for which the utility anticipates it will seek future recovery pursuant to Section 54-17-304(4); (c) Information concerning the utility's expectations concerning costs, timing and other aspects of an Approved Energy Resource if the utility were to proceed with its acquisition with the changed circumstances or projected costs. This information shall also include proposed contracts or contract amendments, if any, to be used in the event the utility were to proceed with the Significant Energy Resource; (d) The utility's conclusions and recommendations on whether it would or would not be in the public interest to proceed with the Approved Energy Resource, and identification of all information, data, models and analyses used in arriving at the utility's conclusions and recommendations; (e) Information concerning any alternatives which the utility considered to meet the needs or purposes for which the Approved Energy Resource is intended in the utility's own analysis of whether or not to proceed with the Approved Energy Resource, including, but not limited to, identification of all data, models, and analyses used by the utility; and (f) If the Commission has not previously issued a Protective Order in the approval request proceeding, a Proposed Protective Order, using the Commission's standard Protective Order, which may be used to facilitate access to information which may be claimed as confidential or protected. (2) Procedure on a Request for a Commission Review and Determination on Whether to Proceed. (a) The Affected Utility shall give notice of the filing of its request to all parties who participated in the Commission proceedings by which the Significant Energy Resource was approved, individuals who have requested notification of such requests, and, additionally, as directed by the Commission. (b) The Commission shall set and give notice of a scheduling conference by which it will set a schedule which will identify the time period, if any, during which interested persons may obtain information to prepare comments on the request, set the date upon which comments shall be provided to the Commission and other interested persons, and set a date upon which reply comments may be made to the comments previously filed. The Commission may, but is not required to, set a date for a public hearing on the request. (c) The Affected Utility shall maintain a complete record of its analyses and evaluations, including spreadsheets and models materially relied upon by the utility, all materials submitted to the Commission and all material submitted in response to discovery for a period of ten years from the date the Commission issues an order on its request. A party to a proceeding may petition the Commission to require specified additional information to be maintained for a specified time. |
| R746-430-4. Requests for Waiver of a Solicitation Process for a Significant Energy Resource or Waiver of Approval of a Significant Energy Resource |
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(1) Filing requirements -- An Affected Electrical Utility filing for a waiver pursuant to Section 54-17-501 shall file a request for waiver which shall fulfill the requirements of Section 54-7-501 and which shall include testimony and exhibits which provide: (a) An explanation of and the factual basis for the emergency, opportunity or other factors that support the requested waiver; (b) If the requested waiver is based upon an emergency, evidence establishing the nature and cause of the emergency and an explanation of why the proposed waiver is in the public interest; (c) If the requested waiver is based upon a time-limited commercial or technical opportunity, evidence establishing the nature of the opportunity and an explanation of why the proposed waiver is in the public interest; (d) If the requested waiver is based upon other factors, evidence establishing the nature of those factors and an explanation of why the proposed waiver is in the public interest; (e) Evidence explaining and demonstrating when the utility first became aware of the claimed emergency, opportunity or other factors and how and when it pursued or responded to the same; (f) If the requested waiver is for a waiver of a solicitation process, evidence (i) that the particular resource to be procured is consistent with the utility's current Integrated Resource Plan, (ii) that the particular resource to be procured is consistent with any pending solicitation process(es) and what affect procurement of the particular resource will have on any pending solicitation process(es), (iii) regarding how the particular resource to be procured compares in value to similar resources, (iv) on how the particular resource will be connected to and will be integrated with the utility's system, (v) of the costs which the utility anticipates it will recover from ratepayers, which shall include, but is not limited to, analysis of the affects upon the utility's power costs and revenue requirements, and (vi) of any affect the proposed resource will have on future resource acquisitions; (g) All information, data, models and analyses used by the utility to evaluate the proposed resource and associated waiver request; and (h) Evidence showing that a requested waiver is in the public interest. (2) The time periods for an act or proceeding process contained in Section 54-17-501 shall supercede any differing time periods for an act or proceeding process contained in any other Commission rule. (3) A Commission order granting a waiver of a Solicitation Process or an Approval of an Energy Resource Decision shall not constitute and does not determine approval or disapproval of a significant energy resource decision including cost recovery. (4) Pursuant to Section 54-17-501(7), the Commission may condition the granting of a waiver on such conditions as the Commission may determine to be just, reasonable and in the public interest. |