Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Panel advances bill letting utilities negotiate directly with very large customers while protecting existing ratepayers
Summary
Senate Bill 132 (first substitute) was favorably recommended after sponsors said the measure allows utilities to contract with customers drawing 50 MW or more under protections designed to prevent cost shifts to existing customers; industry and large-user representatives urged changes on timing and resource requirements.
Senators on the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Standing Committee on Feb. 5 favorably recommended the first substitute of Senate Bill 132, a measure sponsors said is intended to let the incumbent utility respond to very large new electrical loads — such as data centers and large manufacturers — without shifting costs to existing customers.
Sponsor Senator Sandel explained the substitute would let Rocky Mountain Power (the incumbent regulated utility) negotiate individual contracts with new customers whose demand is 50 megawatts or greater. Applications would be aggregated twice a year, and the utility would have up to six months to respond. If Rocky Mountain Power cannot reach agreement, a third-party producer could propose service; the Public Service Commission (PSC) would review whether a proposed…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
