Michigan PSC Proposes Changes To Choice Enrollment Procedures

The Michigan PSC has issued proposed revisions to the electric choice enrollment and queue procedures as a result of the recent PA 341, to incorporate various modifications to statute

Apart from adding certain statutory language to the procedures verbatim, the PSC is proposing to consolidate and revise the queue classification grouping, narrowing the grouping from five groups to four. A modified Group 4 would now apply to any customer taking less than 100% of their service from an alternative electric supplier

The procedures outline, as set forth in statute, which choice customers are eligible to take expanded choice service even in cases where the choice cap is already hit.

If space below the Cap becomes available, the utility shall notify the AES associated with the customer's enrollment (in the queue) by telephone or e-mail within two business days. The AES shall then have five business days to notify the utility by telephone or e-mail that the customer desires to accept its allotment. If the customer’s AES fails to notify the utility within five business days or if the customer chooses not to take retail open access service, the customer shall be removed from the queue of those awaiting retail open access service. The customer may subsequently be added to the queue as a new customer.

The modified procedures will also implement provisions in PA 341 that allow the choice cap to be revised downward under 10%.

Specifically, as previously reported, if less than ten percent (10%) of an electric utility’s average weather-adjusted retail sales for the preceding calendar year is taking service from an AES, the Commission shall set as a cap on the weather-adjusted retail sales that may take service from an AES, for the current calendar year and five (5) subsequent calendar years, the percentage amount of weather-adjusted retail sales taking service from an AES for the preceding calendar year rounded up to the nearest whole percentage. If the cap is not adjusted for six (6) consecutive calendar years, the cap shall return to 10%.

For a utility that serves less than 200,000 customers who has not had any load served by an AES in the preceding four (4) years, the Commission shall set as a cap on the weather-adjusted retail sales that may take service from an AES, for the current calendar year, and no more than two (2) consecutive calendar years, the percentage amount of weather-adjusted sales taking service from an AES for the preceding calendar year rounded up to the nearest whole percentage.

See the PSC's draft changes here