Move Along: Michigan Electric Choice Report to Governor Contains No Recommendations; Retail Suppliers Expect Bill Calling for Full Divestiture

A report from the Michigan PSC and Michigan Energy Office concerning electric choice offers no policy recommendations, and only outlines several alternatives.

These alternatives include expansion of the current choice cap, introduction of full retail access, or complete elimination of customer choice. The report notes implications of each policy and summarizes stakeholder comment.

Link to Final Electric Choice Report

Gov. Rick Snyder will make recommendations in an energy policy statement in December, and such recommendations will likely address the issue of electric choice.

At the recent The Energy Professionals Association annual conference, Andrea Deveau, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Direct Energy, said that the company expects that a bill will be introduced very shortly that would implement "full" retail competition, including generation divestiture by the utility. Deveau reported that the bill's sponsor wanted 10 other lawmakers to sign onto the bill prior to filing, "and I think we have those 10."

However, just like California, "just because we have a bill doesn't mean that it's going to get the [governor's] signature," Deveau said, noting much work remains to be done.