PUC Staff Recommends Utility Develop AMI Business Case, Plan for Sharing Customer Data With Retail Suppliers

Staff of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio have recommended that the FirstEnergy Ohio utilities file a business case that seeks to expand the utilities' existing smart grid program

Staff's recommendation was contained in testimony on the FirstEnergy Ohio utilities' proposed electric security plan for the period starting June 1, 2016.

The FirstEnergy Ohio utilities had previously received approval for installation of about 50,000 smart meters for testing purposes.

"In a general sense, the Companies should file a business case for future implementation of a broad spectrum of smart grid technologies, inclusive of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), distribution automation circuit reconfiguration (DACR), and volt/var optimization (VVO), to the extent that these investments are cost effective. However, Staff is not being prescriptive at this time regarding the proper scope of any further deployment of smart grid technologies. The intention is that the Companies’ business case analysis will drive discussion in a subsequent proceeding as to the extent of investment that can be justified and that such analysis is cost effective at this time. Staff believes that the Commission should order the Companies to file such a business case within 6 months after a finding and order has been issued in this proceeding," Staff said.

Staff further testified that the FirstEnergy utilities, "should provide advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) customer energy usage data (CEUD) to competitive retail electric service (CRES) providers."

"Staff believes that if the market for time-differentiated rates is going to develop, then EDUs must provide AMI customer energy usage data to CRES providers," Staff said

While the FirstEnergy utilities have proposed a supplier web portal for certain customer information as part of the ESP filing, Staff noted that, "the Companies stated that of the interval data provided through the proposed supplier web portal, interval data from the existing 34,711 smart meters that are operational as part of the Companies’ smart grid pilot program would not be made available through the proposed supplier web portal. Staff assumes that this means that the only interval data the Companies would be providing through the proposed supplier web portal would be data from interval data recorder meters, since data from smart meters is not included."

To the extent PUCO adopts Staff's recommendation that the utilities file a business case for AMI, "Staff believes the Companies should amend the proposed supplier web portal to include the functionality to provide access to AMI interval data, including AMI interval data from future smart meter deployments, while leveraging any applicable investments being made in other states [namely Pennsylvania]," Staff said