Retail Supplier: New Legislation Not Needed To Immediately Increase California Businesses Eligible For Direct Access

The number of business customers eligible for direct access can be increased immediately without new legislation, Ron Perry, CEO of Commercial Energy, told a California en banc hearing on retail electric choice.

Perry cited the existing statute which enabled community choice aggregation, stating that such statute allows electric service providers to sell via direct access to businesses within a new community choice aggregation territory.

Under this provision, ESPs must sell to the CCA, which will then sell the power to the customer at the contracted price that was agreed to with the ESP

Perry noted that this mechanism will require coordination on scheduling and balancing among, ESPs, CCAs, and customers, and will require written procedures to ensure fairness

Perry said that while he is eager to work cooperatively with the CCAs, the PUC should act as an arbiter on this process if a process cannot be developed amicably by the end of the year.

Perry said that to the extent there is political will, the direct access cap should be gradually increased, over a 10 year period, once there is resolution on the indifference methodology