H745 - NC Energy Ratepayers Protection Act

• Freezes Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS) requirements at 6% of 2014 retail sales for 2015 and thereafter, eliminating previously scheduled increases to 10% in 2018 and 12.5% in 2021.

• Reduces solar and swine waste energy requirements from 0.2% to 0.14% of retail sales and cuts poultry waste requirements from 900,000 megawatt hours to 360,000 megawatt hours annually.

• Modifies small power producer contracts to limit duration to two years for facilities under 100 kilowatts and allows utilities to curtail power generation for economic dispatch and system reliability.

• Adds provisions requiring financial assurance for utility-scale solar projects (1+ megawatt) to cover decommissioning and site reclamation costs, with the Department of Environmental Quality establishing criteria by rule.

• Directs the Utilities Commission to conduct a comprehensive assessment by May 1, 2018, of costs and benefits of distributed generation and net metering, with $300,000 appropriated for an independent research organization to conduct the study.