Maryland PSC Staff Post Draft Nuclear Procurement Obligation Rules, Cost Recovery

Staff of the Maryland PSC have filed proposed draft rules to implement a nuclear procurement obligation on the utilities, via a zero emissions credit (ZEC) program

Consistent with statute (Senate Bill 937 of 2025), the rules would assign the ZEC procurement obligation to the electric utilities, with a nonbypassable charge added to the utility's base distribution rate on customer bills

Notable, however, is that the rules do not set the specific refund process to customers for any credit due to customers under the ZEC program (such as from reconciliation of ZEC payments versus costs, etc)

Rather, the draft rules provide that utilities shall propose refund mechanisms to the PSC for approval

While refunds, per the draft, shall generally be provided to a utility's "retail electric customers", nothing explicit in the draft rule requires that refunds be competitively neutral

PC71, PC 71