Special Commercial / Industrial Rates

Subtransmission Service (34.5kV)

Rate Effective July 1, 2009

1. Applicability

Applicable when both the following conditions exist:          
 

• Any Electric Service provided by the Department where a customer-owned electrical generating facility is interconnected with the Department’s system for Parallel Operation and in compliance with the Department’s Rules.
• Loads that are served from the Subtransmission System and which would normally be served under General Service Schedule A-3.

Not applicable to:          
 

• Any person or entity that is a utility or a “Public Utility” as defined by the Public Utilities Code, including Sections 216 and 9604.
• Customer-owned electric generating facilities interconnected with the Department System for Momentary Interconnection.

a.    CG-3, Rate A          
       Applicable to customers who generate to sell Excess Energy to the Department and/or to serve their own electricity requirements and have the Department provide Electric Service including supplemental and backup power..

 
b.    CG-3, Rate C          
 

• This optional rate is available to Rate A customers and is designed to support new customer generation and to encourage clean onsite generation.
• Rate C is available to customers whose total Rated Generation Capacity located at a customer facility is less than 25 percent of the Maximum Coincident Demand and less than 1 MW.
• To qualify for this rate, each customer on-site generation unit shall have been installed and/or converted on/after January 1, 2001 to emit no more than 0.5 pounds/MWH of nitrous oxides. Such emission limit must be maintained to continue to qualify. Verification as the Department determines shall be provided.

c.    CG-3, Rate D and Rate E          
       Rates D and E are optional rates for customers receiving service under the Schedule CG-3. Rate D is available to Rate A customers and Rate E is available to Rate C customers. These optional rates are for those customers who have demonstrated that they have the capability to reduce load during Department system conditions including, but not limited to, high system peaks, low generation, high market prices, temperature, and system contingencies.

2. Monthly Rates

3. Adjustment Factors

Billing Factors

4. Definitions

a.    Backup Capacity Charge           
       See Capacity Charge.

b.    Backup Energy           
           For each billing period, Backup Energy is the energy that would have been generated by the customer’s generator(s) if operated at maximum output in each Rating Period (High peak, Low peak, Base). Backup Energy is applicable when both of the following conditions exist:      
 

• Delivered energy as measured by the billing meter over a fifteen minute interval at the Service Point is greater than Supplemental Demand during any Rating Period within the billing month.
• Demand at the output point of the customer’s generator as measured by the unit meter over a fifteen minute interval must be less than the Maximum Generation Demand during any Rating Period within the billing month.

c.    Capacity Charge           
      There are two capacity charges in this rate schedule, Backup Capacity Charge and Supplemental Capacity Charge. The Capacity Charges are charges related to the cost of the facilities necessary to supply backup and supplemental services to the customer excluding costs that are recovered separately in the Facilities Charge.

d.   Rated Generation Capacity (RGC)          
      The power output capacity of a generating unit(s) under normal operating conditions. Factors used in determining RGC include, but are not limited to, nameplate rating and operating characteristics of any connected generation equipment on the premises. The Generation equipment used exclusively for emergency shall not be included in the RGC.

e.    Facilities Charge       
    The Facilities Charge shall be based on the largest of:       
 

• The highest actual demand level recorded for energy delivered by the Department in the last 12-months at the Service Point
• The highest actual demand level recorded for energy exported to the Department in the last 12-months at the Service Point

f.    Supplemental Capacity Charge       
      See Capacity Charge.

g.    Maximum Coincident Demand       
       The maximum of the coincident sum of the demand output at the generator or RGC as measured by the unit meter, and the Department-delivered demand at the Service Point. RGC will be used in determining Maximum Coincident Demand only in the event the customer does not have a unit meter.

h.    Supplemental Demand       
       The Maximum Coincident Demand per Rating Period, less the maximum measured customer generation demand or RGC in the respective Rating Period, but never less than zero.

i.    Momentary Interconnection       
      The Interconnection of a Generating Facility to the Distribution System for one second (60 cycles) or less.s.

j.    Parallel Operation       
      The simultaneous operation of a Generator with power delivered or received by Department while Interconnected. Parallel Operation includes only those Generating Facilities that are Interconnected with the Utility's Distribution System for more than 60 cycles (one second).

k.    Electric Vehicle Discount       
       See Schedule A-3, Rate A.

5. Special Conditions      

a.    CG-3, Rate A

(1)    Temporary Discontinuance of Customer Generation      
         When customer-owned generation equipment has no measured output for two billing cycles, future bills will be calculated under the General Service Tariff to which the customer would be assigned absent customer-owned generation equipment. The customer can be returned to this schedule when the customer-owned generating equipment is again operational.

(2)    Unit Meter      
         To qualify for this rate schedule, a meter must be installed to measure the output of the customer-owned generation equipment.

b.    CG-2, Rate C      
    (1)    Operational Requirements:      
Rate C is available to customers whose total Rated Generation Capacity located at a customer facility is less than 25 percent of the Maximum Coincident Demand and less than 1 MW. In the event a Rate C customer fails to comply with these requirements, the Department shall have the right to immediately transfer that customer to Schedule CG-3, Rate A. If the customer does not have a unit meter on the customer-owned generation equipment, the customer’s bill will be estimated until the unit meter is installed, for a period of up to six months. Upon conclusion of the six month period, if the unit meter has not been installed, the Department will terminate the customer’s Interconnection Agreement and transfer the customer to the applicable General Service Rate Schedule.

   (2)    At a minimum, Rate C Customers must agree to operate their generating unit(s) during High Peak Period in High Season (June-Sep.)    
 

c.    CG-3, Rate D and E

    (1)    All Special Conditions under Rate A shall apply to Rate D customers, and all Special Conditions under Rate C shall apply to Rate E customers.     
    (2)    CG-3, Rate D       
Whenever the Department, in its sole judgment, requires customer to reduce load, it shall issue an Alert Period Notification. The Department may request customer to reduce demand for any service under this rate through issuance of an Alert Period with not less than one half-hour advanced notification. Customers who do not reduce demand or curtail load during each of 2 consecutive Alert Periods will be removed from Rate D and placed on Rate A, and shall not be eligible for service under the Rate D schedule for 5 calendar years.      
    (3)    CG-2, Rate E      
Whenever the Department, in its sole judgment, requires customer to reduce load, it shall issue an Alert Period Notification. The Department may request customer to reduce demand for any service under this rate through issuance of an Alert Period with not less than two hour advanced notification. Customers who do not reduce demand or curtail load during each of 2 consecutive Alert Periods will be removed from Rate E and placed on Rate C, and shall not be eligible for service under the Rate E schedule for 5 calendar years.  
    (4)    Alert Period Notification      
            To receive service under Rate D or E, all customers, at their own expense, must have access to e-mail to receive Alert Period Notifications. The Department will send one notification per Alert Period to customer’s:   
 

• Primary e-mail address
• Secondary e-mail address or a wireless device that is capable of receiving a text message

Customer contact information shall be provided to the Department prior to establishing any service under this rate schedule. If a change in customer’s e-mail address or text message address occurs, the customer is required to provide written notice to the Rates and Contracts Group in the form of a letter or e-mail. Receipt of Alert Period Notification is the responsibility of the participating customer. The Department does not guarantee the reliability of the text system or e-mail system by which the customer receives notification. Customer will be responsible for all charges incurred during an Alert Period even if actual notice is not received.      
    (5)    Alert Period      
         Each Alert Period shall be a minimum duration of 4 hours, however not to exceed a maximum of 10 hours. Alert Period(s) are limited to six occurrences within any calendar year. Notification will be provided through Alert Period message including the date, start and end time. Customers will mitigate the increased cost of energy during Alert Periods by reducing electric consumption.  
     (6)    Contracts      
         To receive service under this rate schedule, a customer shall sign a contract in addition to the Customer Interconnection Agreement with the Department.

6. General Conditions     
a.    Agreement     
       To receive service under this rate schedule, the customer must first sign a Customer Generation Interconnection Agreement which provides that the customer will design, construct, operate and maintain the generating facility in compliance with all applicable codes, laws, electric service requirements, rules and prudent utility practices as determined in good faith by the Department.

b.    Character of Service     
       Service will be supplied at one of the standard voltages. The customer’s generation equipment and Interconnection Facilities must be in compliance with the Department’s Electric Service Requirements.

c.    Energy Credit     
      The energy credit is calculated as the total number of Excess Energy (kWh) supplied to the Department’s system by the customer during each Rating Period times the dollar per kWh charge as determined by the Standard Energy Credit or the Daily Energy Credit.

Excess Energy is the energy generated by the customer beyond the customer’s requirements and supplied to the Department’s system.

d.    Standard Energy Credit     
       The Standard Energy Credit shall be revised twelve times each year on the first day of the calendar month and shall remain in effect for the entire calendar month. It shall be determined by the Department Energy Control Center estimated hourly marginal energy production costs. The hourly energy production costs shall be averaged separately for each Rating Period. The Standard Energy Credit will be posted for each Rating Period on the Department internet site. If the Excess Energy is metered at 34.5 kV, the Standard Energy Credit for each Rating Period shall be multiplied by a factor of 1.014 to adjust for reduced losses on the Power System.

e.    Daily Energy Credit     
        The Daily Energy Credit shall be posted two (2) weekdays ahead on the Department internet site before 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time on normal Department workdays. The Daily Energy Credit shall remain in effect until reposted. For example, the Daily Energy Credit values posted on Thursday shall apply to next Monday. The Daily Energy Credit is not available on Saturday and Sunday. The Daily Energy Credit shall be based on the Department Energy Control Center estimated hourly marginal energy production costs. The hourly energy production costs shall be averaged separately for each Rating Period. If the Excess Energy is metered at 34.5 kV, the Daily Energy Credit for each Rating Period shall be multiplied by a factor of 1.014 to adjust for reduced losses on the Power System. If the energy credit exceeds twice the customer’s average monthly energy consumption bill, cash payment may be issued for the amount of Excess Energy purchased by the Department based on the Standard Energy Credit or the Daily Energy Credit. Only customers with Excess Energy and supply the Department system with demand levels greater than 100 kW may sign a contract that will allow payment for Excess Energy to be based on the Daily Energy Credit.

f.    Metering     
      Meter installation and costs will be as defined in the Customer Generation Interconnection Agreement. The Department shall supply, own and maintain all necessary meters and associated equipment utilized for billing and for measurement of Excess Energy. Time-of-use metering equipment and recorders are located at the Customer’s Service Point and at the output point of the customer’s generator(s) to measure electric energy and other electric parameters deemed appropriate by the Department.

g.    Reactive Energy Charge     
       See Schedule A3, Rate A.

h.    Wheeling Credits     
       Wheeling Credits are not allowed under Schedule CG-3.

i.    Selection of Rates

• A customer may choose to receive service under Rate A or D; and a customer may choose to receive service under Rate C or E, however, a customer voluntarily changing to Rate A from Rate D, or a customer voluntarily changing to Rate C from Rate E, may not revert to the opposing rate before 12 months have elapsed.
• A Rate A qualifying customer may elect to receive service under Rate A or Rate C; however, a customer changing from Rate C to Rate A may not revert to Rate C before 12 months have elapsed.
• If billing meter measures delivered energy and received energy from both generation and solar loads at the Service Point the customer shall be placed on the applicable rate under Schedule CG-3.