Maine Discloses CMP Standard Offer Suppliers, Confirms New Default Service Rate Term, End of TOU Product

The Maine PUC has disclosed the Standard Offer suppliers at Central Maine Power under the January procurement, and confirmed several changes to default service procurement in a published written order.

The PUC designated Constellation Energy Commodities Group Maine, LLC as the Standard Offer provider to serve two-thirds of a 66% load tranche of the residential and small non-residential class in the Central Maine Power Company service territory for the term beginning March 1, 2015. The PUC designates TransCanada Power Marketing Ltd as the Standard Offer provider to serve one-third of a 66% load tranche of the residential and small non-residential class in the CMP service territory for the term beginning March 1, 2015.

The PUC also designated TransCanada as the standard offer provider for 100% of the medium commercial and industrial class.

The PUC designated NextEra Energy Power Marketing, LLC as the Standard Offer provider for 100% of the large commercial and industrial class.

Click here for prior story on pricing under the new default service contracts

The PUC did not select a supplier to serve Time of Use Standard Offer customers at CMP, stating that there were no acceptable bids. "We note that CMP's systems are now able to accommodate TOU products from retail competitive suppliers, which may result in the availability of TOU pricing from the market," the PUC said.

The PUC also confirmed that it will transition the default service procurement period from a March to February term to a January to December term, in order to limit risk premiums.

"Current market conditions in New England display prices that tend to peak during the months of January and February. The Commission believes that more favorable prices for consumers may result from a standard offer term that is on a calendar year basis, rather than the current "March-February" year basis. In theory, this will allow standard offer prices to be set at a point in time that is much closer to the peak months of January and February, which, all else equal, should reduce the risk premiums associated with those peak month prices. For this [current] RFP, then, prices will be set for a ten-month term (March – December) which will allow the term in subsequent RFPs to be aligned with the calendar year. Next fall the Commission will solicit bids for the calendar year January 2016 through December 2016," the PUC said.

The PUC also disclosed the adders and capacity charges for large customer default service, whose energy charge is set based on monthly market prices.

CMP Large Customer Default Service:
            Adder       Capacity
           ($/kWh)      ($/kW-mo)
Mar-15    $0.00806      $4.05279
Apr-15    $0.00804      $4.05279
May-15    $0.00794      $4.05279
Jun-15    $0.00843      $5.03469
Jul-15    $0.00860      $5.03469
Aug-15    $0.00815      $5.03469
Sep-15    $0.00865      $5.03469
Oct-15    $0.00873      $5.03469
Nov-15    $0.01014      $5.03469
Dec-15    $0.01189      $5.03469

The PUC also declined to award a contract for the sale of CMP's hydroelectric entitlements, and, directed CMP to retain the hydroelectric entitlements and to file a plan with the Commission to sell the entitlements into the ISO-NE wholesale market.