FirstEnergy Corp. utilities in Pennsylvania have filed plans with the state Public Utility Commission to procure electric generation supply beginning June 2019.
The supply is intended for Metropolitan Edison Co., Pennsylvania Electric Co., Pennsylvania Power Co. and West Penn Power Co. customers, who choose not to shop with alternate suppliers, according to a Dec. 11 release. The utilities serve about 2 million customers in in the state.
Under the proposed plan, there will be a process for meeting state-mandated alternative energy standards, including a separate bidding process to meet a portion of the solar energy requirements through two requests for proposals for two-year contracts for the purchase of solar renewable energy credits.
CRA International Inc. will manage the procurement process and will conduct multiple auctions, with generation prices calculated based on a blended average by customer class.
The first auction will be held between Oct. 20 and Nov. 20, 2018, with others scheduled in January, April and June of 2019.
Additionally, the rate filings include the continuation of the customer referral program that was established in August 2013 to help enhance retail competition in the utilities' service territories.
The utilities also proposed a change for commercial customers served on the GS medium rate schedules with demand usage billing in excess of 100 kWh. The companies want to move qualifying customers to an hourly pricing schedule from the current system of fixed default service prices that change quarterly.
FirstEnergy said its subsidiaries expect the commission to rule on their default service program petition in mid-2018.
