HB 78 - Alaska Competitive Energy Act of 2015

• Establishes the Alaska Competitive Energy Act of 2015 to promote competitive energy markets by amending the Regulatory Commission of Alaska's authority and duties regarding utilities, qualifying facilities, and independent power producers.

• Requires the commission to promote competitive procurement and market-driven development of renewable and alternative energy resources, including geothermal, wind, solar, hydroelectric, and biomass energy for in-state use and export.

• Mandates that transmission asset owners provide fair, nondiscriminatory access to qualifying facilities and independent power producers for joint use and interconnection, with the commission able to set temporary fees to zero if utilities fail to provide sufficient cost information.

• Reduces the regulatory timeline for rule-making decisions from 730 days to 365 days and requires the commission to review tariffs for consistency with state energy policy upon filing.

• Exempts qualifying facilities from commission regulation, extends an independent power producer exemption deadline from 2016 to 2025 for facilities under 80 megawatts, and eliminates certain regulatory exemptions for municipal utilities that directly compete with other energy providers.