Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4287 Latest Draft

Bill / House Committee Report Version Filed 04/24/2023

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                            88R19092 CXP-F
 By: Metcalf, Cunningham, Manuel, Bailes, H.B. No. 4287
 Ashby, et al.
 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 4287:
 By:  Slawson C.S.H.B. No. 4287


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to the use of customer-sited distributed generation
 facilities owned by certain non-ERCOT electric utilities.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 36, Utilities Code, is
 amended by adding Section 36.215 to read as follows:
 Sec. 36.215.  RECOVERY OF INVESTMENT IN DISTRIBUTED
 GENERATION AND RATES FOR BACKUP ELECTRIC SERVICE FOR CERTAIN
 NON-ERCOT UTILITIES.  (a)  In this section:
 (1)  "Customer-sited distributed generation facility"
 means a dispatchable generation facility that is installed on the
 electric utility's side of the retail meter and owned and operated
 by the electric utility:
 (A)  with a nameplate capacity of not more than 10
 megawatts;
 (B)  that is capable of generating and providing
 backup electric service to a customer during a power grid outage;
 and
 (C)  sited at or adjacent to the customer's
 premises.
 (2)  "Host customer" means a customer receiving backup
 electric service under this section.
 (b)  This section applies only to an electric utility that
 operates solely outside of ERCOT in areas of this state included in
 the Southeastern Electric Reliability Council.
 (c)  An electric utility may provide backup electric service
 to a nonresidential retail customer through a customer-sited
 distributed generation facility.
 (d)  The commission, on the petition of an electric utility,
 shall establish just and reasonable rates for backup electric
 service supplied using a customer-sited distributed generation
 facility, consistent with this chapter, provided that costs are
 allocated as follows:
 (1)  if the facility is capable of directly supplying
 energy to the distribution system or of disconnecting the host
 customer from the distribution system when not being used to supply
 backup electric service to the host customer and thereby reducing
 system load, the commission shall allocate the cost of owning and
 operating the facility between the host customer and the electric
 utility's broader customer base, including an allocation of any
 margins from energy sales attributable to the facility to the host
 customer in reasonable proportion to the allocation of nonfuel
 costs as provided by Subdivision (2); and
 (2)  the allocation of nonfuel costs to the host
 customer must be based on the cost to purchase, install,
 interconnect, own, operate, and maintain the facility that is above
 the electric utility's levelized avoided cost to install, own,
 operate, and maintain a single-cycle combustion turbine, on a per
 kilowatt basis, grossed up for avoided line losses based on the
 utility's transmission and distribution line loss factors last
 approved by the commission.
 (e)  In a rate proceeding in which an electric utility seeks
 to recover the full cost of the utility's investment in a
 customer-sited distributed generation facility that is
 interconnected to the utility's distribution system, the cost of
 the facility and backup electric service revenues must be allocated
 among customer classes on the same basis used to allocate the
 utility's distribution-level investments.
 SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
 Act takes effect September 1, 2023.