Control Number : 42786
Item Number: 2
PROJECT NO. 42786
PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS PUBLIC NOTICE OF WORKSHOP AND
REQUEST FOR COMMENTS
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The staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (commission) will hold a workshop in Project Number 42786, Review ofAdvanced Metering System Web Portals, on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. in the Commissioners' Hearing Room, located on the 7th floor of the William B. Travis Building, 1701 North Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701. The questions below will be discussed at the workshop. In addition, commission staff seeks written responses to the questions. Responses may be filed by submitting 16 copies to the commission's Filing Clerk, Public Utility Commission of Texas, 1701 North Congress Avenue, P.O. Box 13326, Austin, Texas 78711-3326 by Friday, October 3, 2014. All responses should reference Project Number 42786.
Background
Commission Substantive Rule 25.130, relating to Advance Metering, requires an electric utility that deploys an advanced metering system (AMS) to have a web portal that enables a customer and the customer's retail electric provider (REP) to access the customer's usage data. See Substantive Rule 25.130(d)(4)(D) and (G) and (g)(1)(E). The utilities in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) power region are in various stages of deploying AMS. CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC (CenterPoint); Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC (Oncor); and AEP Texas Central Company and AEP Texas North Company (AEP Texas) each have completed the deployment of AMS. Texas-New Mexico Power Company (TNMP) is scheduled to complete deployment in 2016. Sharyland Utilities, L.P. is scheduled to file an AMS
deployment plan by January 2015. None of the Texas utilities outside of the ERCOT power region have announced that they plan to deploy AMS
CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP Texas, and TNMP have a contract - referred to as the joint development and operating agreement (JDOA) - in which they jointly own and operate through a committee (JDOA committee or JDOA for short) a single web portal for their AMS (joint portal). Joint portal functionality to better facilitate access to a customer's AMS data by a third-party provider (upon consent of the customer) is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2014.
In addition to its role in the wholesale market, ERCOT is the "registration agent" for the competitive retail market. See Public Utility Regulatory Act (PURA) §39.151(a)(3) and (4). As the registration agent in the ERCOT region, ERCOT keeps track of which REP serves each customer and the electricity consumed by each customer, which is used for settlement of wholesale market transactions by ERCOT. Issues concerning ERCOT's responsibilities as the registration agent are addressed through the applicable ERCOT stakeholder groups and committees, consistent with applicable commission rules. See, e.g., Substantive Rule 25.474(1) (duty of registration agent pertaining to a move-in or switch request by a REP). Disputes are resolved by the ERCOT board, subject to appeal to the commission. See Procedural Rule 22.251.
The Advanced Metering Working Group (AMWG) of the Retail Market Subcommittee (RMS) at ERCOT is used as a forum to discuss AMS issues in ERCOT, including the joint portal.
However, any votes by RMS on joint portal issues are only advisory. All decisions concerning the joint portal are made by the JDOA.
Questions
1. Joint portal background. Describe the existing and potential future uses of the joint portal by customers, REPs, and third-party providers.
2. Joint portal operational structure. What operational structure should be used to operate the joint portal?
a. Should the JDOA or another joint utility management structure be used?
b. Should the ownership and/or operation of the joint portal be transferred to ERCOT? If so, what are the issues associated with such transfer?
c. Should utilities that deploy AMS be required to use the joint portal as their AMS web portal?
d. Should the utilities that are currently parties to the JDOA be required to allow utilities that deploy AMS to use the joint portal?
e. What process should be used to make any changes to the operational structure of the joint portal?
3. Joint portal cost recovery.
a. Should the costs for additional functionality for the joint portal be recovered outside of base rates under a cost recovery mechanism such as discretionary service fees or AMS
surcharges?
b. How should the costs for additional functionality and the continued operation of the joint portal be allocated among utilities?
4. Joint portal decision making process. What process should be used to make decisions concerning the joint portal?
a. What process should be used to decide whether additional functionality should be added?
b. What process should be used to decide what operational data should be provided to REPs or the public?
c. Should the JDOA be required to provide a written response within a specified period of time to a vote by RMS on a joint portal issue?
5. Joint portal dispute resolution. What process should be used to resolve disputes concerning the operation and functionality of the joint portal?
a. What process should be used to resolve a dispute for which RMS voted on? b. What process should a REP use to resolve a dispute?
c. What process should a retail customer use to resolve a dispute? d. What process should a third-party provider use to resolve a dispute?
e. What process should a utility use to resolve a dispute with the JDOA? Should all disputes that a utility participating in the JDOA has, be resolved as a contractual dispute in court or should policy issues concerning the JDOA, be resolved by the commission? 6. Other issues. Are there other issues concerning the joint portal?
This notice is not a formal notice of proposed rulemaking; however, the parties' responses to the questions and comments at the workshop will assist the commission in developing a commission policy or determining the necessity for a related rulemaking. Questions concerning the workshop or this notice should be referred to Christine Wright, Senior Policy Analyst,
Infrastructure and Reliability Division, at Christine.Wright(d)puc.texas ov. Hearing and speech-impaired individuals with text telephones (TTY) may contact the commission through Relay Texas by dialing 7-1-1.
ISSUED IN AUSTIN, TEXAS ON THE 3rd DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2014 BY THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS
