(1) On or before January 1, 2020, the commission shall open a proceeding to investigate the potential costs and benefits to electric utilities, other generators, and Colorado electric utility customers that would arise from electric utilities participating in any energy imbalance markets, regional transmission organizations, power pools, or joint tariffs. The proceeding must include an investigation of the potential advantages and disadvantages of these options, including the effect on:
Both participating and nonparticipating retail and wholesale Colorado electric serviceproviders;
Wholesale electric energy rates;
Transmission rates;
Retail electric energy rates for both participating and nonparticipating Colorado retailelectric service providers;
Commitment and dispatch of generation and real-time dispatch optimization of energy and ancillary services;
Reserve margin requirements;
Short-term and long-term operational costs;
Regional infrastructure investment in response to growth in demand for electric energy or changes in energy production;
Operating reserve procurement; and
Renewable energy resource interconnection and integration.
On or before July 1, 2021, the commission shall hold a hearing for public commentto consider the information received during the commission's investigation and deliberate on whether electric utilities should participate in an energy imbalance market, regional transmission organization, power pool, or joint tariff.
On or before December 1, 2021, the commission shall issue a decision determiningwhether electric utilities participating in an energy imbalance market, regional transmission organization, power pool, or joint tariff is in the public interest.
If the commission determines that electric utility participation in an energy imbalance market, regional transmission organization, power pool, or joint tariff is in the public interest, the commission, on or before July 1, 2022, shall direct electric utilities to take appropriate actions and conduct such proceedings as the commission deems appropriate to pursue participation in an energy imbalance market, regional transmission organization, power pool, or joint tariff.
Source: L. 2019: Entire article added, (SB 19-236), ch. 359, p. 3307, § 12, effective May 30.