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IN SB0499
Bill
Status
1/14/2019
Primary Sponsor
Dennis Kruse
Click for details
AI Summary
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Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) must adopt rules by June 1, 2020 requiring all jurisdictional municipally owned electric utilities to offer feed-in tariffs (FIT) to eligible customers by July 1, 2020
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Utilities must enter into contracts of at least 10 years to purchase electricity from renewable energy facilities located in Indiana, with qualifying sources including wind, solar, hydropower from existing dams, geothermal, and organic waste biogas
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Participating facilities must have capacity of at least 1 megawatt minimum and up to at least 20 megawatts maximum, with utilities allowed to establish aggregate capacity caps subject to IURC approval
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IURC must establish separate FIT rates for each renewable energy resource type, with rates based on customer generation costs plus reasonable return, reviewed at least every 2 years
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All renewable energy credits earned by utilities under the program must be retired, and utilities cannot require participants to be existing customers before enrolling in the FIT program
Legislative Description
Feed-in tariff for renewable energy facilities. Requires the utility regulatory commission (IURC) to adopt rules to establish an electric utility feed-in tariff (FIT) program. Provides that the rules adopted must do the following: (1) Require all jurisdictional municipally owned electric utilities (utilities) to offer a FIT to eligible customers (including persons that are not existing customers of the electric utility) not later than July 1, 2020. (2) Require utilities, upon the request of an eligible customer, to enter into a contract, for a term of at least 10 years, for the purchase of electricity generated by a renewable energy facility (facility) located in Indiana at a site at which the utility provides, or will provide, retail electric service to the eligible customer. (3) Allow an electric utility to do the following, subject to the approval of the IURC: (A) Require a minimum size or capacity, not to exceed one megawatt, for facilities participating in the program. (B) Establish a cap with respect to the maximum aggregate capacity for all participating facilities under the electric utility's FIT program. (C) Establish a maximum size or capacity limit, which may not be less than 20 megawatts, for a participating facility. (4) Establish appropriate standards for interconnections between facilities and utilities' electric systems. (5) Establish appropriate FITs for participating facilities, with separate rates for electricity generated from each type of qualifying renewable energy resource under the program. (6) Require that any renewable energy credit or clean energy credit earned by a utility under the program be retired. (7) Prohibit an electric utility from requiring that a person that otherwise qualifies to participate in the electric utility's FIT program to be a customer of the electric utility for any period of time before enrolling in the electric utility's FIT program. Requires the IURC to ensure that the program complies with certain federal laws, regulations, and orders. Requires the IURC to develop and make available a standard contract for use by utilities in entering into contracts with eligible customers under the program. Requires the IURC to include certain information concerning the program in its annual report to the interim study committee on energy, utilities, and telecommunications.
Last Action
First reading: referred to Committee on Utilities
1/14/2019