HB 382 Summary

• Establishes the Railbelt Electrical System Authority as a division of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska to manage the Railbelt area's electric transmission and generation system with the goal of optimizing generation output to meet system load at the lowest possible cost.

• Creates a 16-member board of directors composed of 13 voting members representing utilities, power producers, renewable energy, residential consumers, commercial/industrial consumers, municipalities, and finance expertise, plus 3 ex officio nonvoting members from the commission, Alaska Energy Authority, and electrical transmission organizations.

• Limits Railbelt utility representation on the board to 40 percent of voting members for the first five years, 25 percent for years 6-10, and 8 percent thereafter.

• Grants the authority powers to manage unified transmission systems, establish transparent tariffs, enforce nondiscriminatory access, establish interconnection standards, create long-term regional transmission and generation plans, and authorize transmission projects, while adhering to nationally recognized reliability standards.

• Restricts the authority from owning assets exceeding $100,000 and requires the commission to provide staff and recover costs through regulatory charges; establishes the authority by January 1, 2019.