Southern California Edison Begins Process to Reform CREST Power Purchase Agreement
Citing changes in market conditions, Southern California Edison (SCE) announced last week that it is beginning the process of reforming the standard Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) it uses for its California Renewable Energy Small Tariff (CREST) program. CREST is SCE’s feed-in tariff program for eligible renewable energy projects under 1.5 MW. The PPA for each of these projects is a standard, non-negotiable PPA under either a full buy/sell or excess power purchase program for a term of 10, 15, or 20 years. Of the 247.7 MW allocated to SCE by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for CREST, SCE states that it has 214.1 MW either under contract or in the queue.
In its press release, SCE states that it will publish the proposed pro forma PPA on its website on June 2. It also states that the proposed “CREST PPA is based on SCE’s pro forma Solar Photovoltaic Program PPA for projects less than 5 MWs, and has been modified to make it applicable to all technology types and to be in compliance with the requirements of the CREST Tariff and CPUC Decision (‘D.’) 07-07-27.” Comments on the proposed PPA will be due by June 22, with the submission of the new PPA to the CPUC planned for August 2011.
SCE Solicits Feedback on Solar PV Program; CPUC to Host Feed-in Tariff Panel
SCE Solar PV Program:
Back in June, the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”) issued a decision authorizing Southern California Edison (“SCE”) to execute contracts for up to 250 MW of generation from solar PV facilities owned and operated by independent power producers through a competitive solicitation process. The CPUC decision required SCE to file an advice letter outlining the criteria for selection of bids and containing a draft standard power purchase agreement (“PPA”).
SCE recently filed the requisite advice letter requesting approval of its proposed competitive solicitation process and criteria and a draft standard PPA. Anyone may file protests or responses to SCE’s advice letter. Protests are due on August 10, 2009. For more information, as well as a link to SCE’s draft standard PPA, go to the CPUC website.
CPUC Panel on Feed-in Tariffs:
The CPUC announced that it will host an interactive panel discussion on feed-in tariffs for renewable energy on August 27, 2009. The panel will feature international experts from Germany, Spain, the United States, and elsewhere with experience in the global solar power market. The panelists will offer their insights on the global solar market, the role of feed-in tariffs and other mechanisms for advancing renewable energy development, and California’s role in facilitating wholesale renewable distributed generation.
The panel will be held from 1-2:30 PM at the CPUC Auditorium, 505 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA.
