Sec. 16-243j. Long-term financing for customer-side distributed resources and advanced power monitoring and metering equipment.

(a) Not later than January 1, 2006, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall select, pursuant to a competitive bid process, one or more persons to provide long-term financing for customer-side distributed resources, as defined in section 16-1, and advanced power monitoring and metering equipment purchased or leased by customers of electric distribution companies. Such person may not be an electric distribution company, as defined in said section 16-1, but may be a generation affiliate of such company. The authority may retain a consultant to assist it in selecting such person or persons.

(b) A successful bidder pursuant to this section shall give preference for such long-term financing to projects of customer-side distributed resources and monitoring and metering equipment that maximize the reduction of the federally mandated congestion charges. Costs eligible for such financing shall include, but not be limited to, the capital costs of projects of customer-side distributed resources and advanced power monitoring and metering equipment. For financing provided by a successful bidder pursuant to this section, the authority shall implement a buydown mechanism to reduce the effective annual interest rate to the person receiving the financing to a level that is no greater than the prime rate in effect on the date that the buydown begins for the person receiving the financing.

(c) A person providing financing pursuant to this section shall, after receiving approval from the authority, enter into an agreement with an electric distribution company, as defined in section 16-1, for such company to provide billing services with respect to the payments due to the financing entity from the person receiving financing. The electric distribution company, as defined in said section 16-1, shall recover all reasonable costs incurred in implementing this section, including costs associated with the buydown pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, as federally mandated congestion charges, as defined in section 16-1.

(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-1, S. 9; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-1 effective July 21, 2005; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Department of Public Utility Control” and “department” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority” and “authority”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011.