Illinois Governor's Proposal For State's Energy Sector Includes Specific Provision Impacting Retail Suppliers

Also Favors "Market-Based" Approach To Addressing Carbon Instead Of Fixed Resource Requirement

August 21, 2020

Email This Story
Copyright 2010-20 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

The following story is brought free of charge to readers by EC Infosystems, the exclusive EDI provider of EnergyChoiceMatters.com

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker today announced, "eight principles that will serve as a foundation to begin transitioning Illinois to a clean energy economy."

Among the proposals under one of the Governor's principles is that, "we should standardize net metering credits for alternative retail electricity supplier customers subscribing to community solar projects."

Otherwise, the generally stated proposals do not directly relate to the competitive retail market, but may affect retail suppliers through wholesale market changes or potential renewable procurement obligations (if changed from the current non-LSE procurements)

With respect to proposals for Illinois to elect the fixed resource requirement (FRR) alternative to PJM's capacity market, Pritzker's proposal instead favors establishing, "a market-based program that incorporates the social cost of carbon, including long-term damage from CO2, into generation costs."

"The Fixed Resource Requirement (FRR) proposal set out in current legislative proposals, where Illinois would pull out of PJM's capacity market to run a statewide capacity market does not seem to accomplish our goals. The proposed FRR has been the centerpiece of current energy discussions, but the first step in that FRR is to annually pay each of Exelon's nuclear plants an amount equal to three times the current taxpayer subsidy that two Exelon plants already receive without any strings attached and without Exelon showing us their math as to why this is necessary. The better approach is to explore all means to set up a clean energy framework, and to compare their costs and benefits. FRR is not the only option," according to Pritzker's principles

Pritzker's principles also call for implementing an integrated distribution planning (IDP) requirement through the ICC. This would require utility companies to prepare and file a distribution system investment plan with the ICC, which must be designed to optimize utilization of electricity grid assets and resources, customer engagement, grid modernization, distributed energy resources (DER), grid congestion, and emissions reductions.

Pritzker's principles also call for expanding, "access to data for customers and enhanced consumer protections."

"Customers should have more frequent access to their monthly billing and other usage information to fully use the AMI investments they have paid for. Utilities must prepare and obtain ICC approval of plans to securely and cost-effectively provide energy usage information to energy customers and/or customer energy management partners to enable customers to more easily and effectively manage their energy consumption. Complaints against entities that have misused the data can be filed with the Attorney General, who can take legal action," the plan states

See Pritzker's principles here

ADVERTISEMENT
NEW Jobs on RetailEnergyJobs.com:
• NEW! -- Energy Systems Analyst -- Retail Supplier
• NEW! -- Billing Specialist -- Retail Supplier  -- Texas
• NEW! -- Director - Distributed Generation, Demand Response, & Market Participation -- Houston
• NEW! -- Retail Energy Account Executive -- Houston
• NEW! -- Business Development Manager