20200901PAC to Staff 15-23.pdf

Y ROCKY MOUNTAIN
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Salt Lake City, Utah 841 16
September 1,2020
JanNoriyuki
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
472W. Washington
Boise, ID 83702-5918
i an.noriyuki(Epuc. idaho. eov (C)
RE:ID PAC-E-20-10
IPUC 3'd Set Data Request (15-23)
Please find enclosed Rocky Mountain Power's Responses to IPUC Data Requests l5-19, 21, and
23. Provided via encryption is Attachment IPUC 18. Confidential information is provided
subject to protected under IDAPA 31.01.01.067 and 31.01 .01.233, the Idaho Public Utilities
Commission's Rules of Procedure No. 67 - Information Exempt from Public Review, and
further subject to any subsequent Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) executed in this
proceeding.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at [phone]
Sincerely,
---Js/-J. Ted Weston
Manager, Regulation
Enclosures
C.c.: Greg Adams/Fall River Gree@,richardsonadams.com
PAC-E-20-10 / Rocky Mountain Power
September 1,2020
IPUC Data Request l5
IPUC Data Request 15
Please describe how the Company processes payments when a QF produces
energy outside the monthly 90/110 band. In addition, please answer the following
(a) Does the Company examine every hour that falls outside the 90/110 band and
determine its contract price depending on whether that hour is an On-Peak
hour or an Off-Peak hour? If yes, does the Company do this before comparing
against the 85% of the market price of that month?
(b) Please provide examples to illustrate how the Company identifies hours
outside the 90/l l0 band and processes payment for these hours, with contract
prices that are below 85% of the market price and when they are above 85%
of the market price.
Response to IPUC Data Request 15
PacifiCorp processes payments for qualiffing facilities (QF) that have a monthly
90 / 110 band as follows: The vendor supplies PacifiCorp an energy delivery
schedule per month. This is a monthly generation figure that the vendor expects to
produce for each calendar month. For example, if the vendor expects to generate
100,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) for any particular month, then they need to
generate a minimum of 90,000 kwh (90 percent of 100,000) and up to 110,000
kWh (110 percent of the 100,000) to be paid the agreed contract price. In the
example provided above, if the vendor produces less than 90 percent (less than
90,0000 kwh) or more than 110 percent (more than 110,000 kwh) they are paid
for anything less than 90 percent, or more than 110 percent at the lower pricing.
(a) No, the vendor is not paid by looking at hourly generation but rather a
cumulative total multiplied by the percentages which does not require
PacifiCorp to examine hourly data.
(b) PacifiCorp looks at a cumulative total. If the cumulative total is under the 90
percent of the monthly energy delivery schedule, then all energy is paid at the
lower pricing. If the vendor produces energy at a level between the 90 / 110
band of the energy delivery schedule, then the vendor is automatically paid at
the contact price. Ifthe vendor produces energy above the energy delivery
schedule, then the Company adds the total daily for the month up to 110
percent ofthe energy delivery schedule, and that energy is paid at contract rate
and any remaining energy for the month produced above the schedule is paid
at the lower pricing.
Recordholder:
Sponsor:
Debbie Blake
To Be Determined
PAC-E-20-10 / Rocky Mountain Power
September I,2020
IPUC Data Request 16
IPUC Data Request 16
What level of generation data (frequency, time resolution, etc.) can the Company
collect from the meter installed at the Felt Hydro QF? What kind of data is
actually retained by the Company?
Response to IPUC Data Request L6
Since approximately Ql 2015, PacifiCorp has had the capability to query the
CDM Hydro / Felt Hydro / Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative qualifuing
facility (QF) meter daily and has granularity down to 5-minute increments. [n
accordance with the Company's document retention policies, PacifiCorp retains
approximately seven years of meter data down to the 5-minute level of generation
granularity, and it is also possible to manipulate the meter data into different
increments of l0-minute, 15-minute, 30-minute or 60-minute increments.
Recordholder:
Sponsor:
Debbie Blake
To Be Determined
PAC-E-20-10 / Rocky Mountain Power
September 1,2020
IPUC Data Request l7
IPUC Data Request 17
Please describe the capabilities of the Company's Accounts Payable system to
process payments to QFs using different rates depending on the amount of
generation over set intervals. Specifically, can the system process payments by
applying different rates based on different ranges of MWhs generated in each
hour?
Response to IPUC Data Request 17
PacifiCorp uses a system called 'oSettlecore" specifically designed to
accommodate the unique payment calculation requirements for specific qualifuing
facilities (QF). "settlecore" takes all the specifications for each contract for all the
years of the contract agreement, the pricing specific to the contract, and sets up all
the calculations specific to the contract parameters and produces the statement for
the vendor at each rate and range of megawatt-hours (MWh) generated for the
calendar month.
Recordholder:
Sponsor:
Debbie Blake
To Be Determined
PAC-E-20-10 i Rocky Mountain Power
September 1,2020
IPUC Data Request 18
IPUC Data Request 18
Please describe the peak hours used to determine capacity needs in the Company's
IRP. Specifically, please describe how the peak hours are identified and when
these hours occur in the latest IRP.
Response to IPUC Data Request 18
The System Optimizer model (SO model) identifies the highest system peak hour,
also referred to as the coincident peak (CP), in summer and winter by arlr,lyzng
the Company retail load forecast data in the model. July is the month where the
sunmer peak hour occurs, and December is the month the winter peak hour
occurs in the forecast. The load forecast includes private generation (PG), but
excludes the demand-side management (DSM) conservation that is modeled as a
resource. Please refer to Confidential Attachment IPUC 18 which reports the
annual suflrmer and winter peak hours for the 20-year study period included in
PacifiCorp's 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).
Confidential information is provided subject to protected under IDAPA
31.01.01.067 and 31.01 .01.233,the Idaho Public Utilities Commission's Rules of
Procedure No. 67 - Information Exempt from Public Review, and further subject
to any subsequent Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) executed in this proceeding.
Recordholder:
Sponsor:
Dan Swan
To Be Determined
PAC-E-20-10 / Rocky Mountain Power
September 1,2020
IPUC Data Request 19
IPUC Data Request L9
In calculating the Load and Resource Balance to identifr the first capaclty deficit
date in the IRP process, how does the Company determine an existing QF's
resource contribution at peak to meet the Company's need for capacity?
Response to IPUC Data Request 19
The qualifuing facility (QF) resource capacity contribution to peak is described in
PacifiCorp's 2019IRP, specifically Volume I, Chapter 5, (Load and Resource
Balance), pages 109 through ll2. A description of capacity contribution
assumptions is presented on page 110, and methodology on page 114. As
described on page 112, wind and solar QFs are handled in the same manner as
non-QF renewable resources, and other QFs are handled in the same manner as
other power purchases, where the capacity balance counts them at maximum
system summer peak availability and the energy balance counts thern at optimal
economic model dispatch.
PacifiCorp's 2019 IRP is publicly available and can be accessed by utilizing the
following website link:
https : //www.pacifi com. com/enersy/inte grated-resource-plan.html
Recordholder:
Sponsor:
Dan Swan
To Be Determined
PAC-E-20-10 / Rocky Mountain Power
September 1,2020
IPUC Data Request 21
IPUC Data Request 21
On what date in 2006 did Powerhouse #l stop operating?
Response to IPUC Data Request 2l
The Company does not have record of when Powerhouse #l stopped operating.
Historically Powerhouse #1 only operated during high flows, so the Company
could not reasonably know whether Powerhouse #1 had stopped operating or
whether high flows were not present.
Recordholder:
Sponsor:
Kyle Moore
To Be Determined
PAC-E-20-10 / Rocky Mountain Power
September 1,2020
IPUC Data Request 23
IPUC Data Request 23
Powerhouse #1 has been offline since 2006. Please answer the following:
(a) When and how did the Company find out that Powerhouse #1 was offline?
(b) What does the Company do to ensure that QFs operate normally?
(c) What actions does the Company usually take, when the Company finds out
that QFs do not operate normally?
(d) Has the Company updated Felt Hydro's contribution at peak in its IRP to
reflect the fact that Powerhouse #l has been offline since 2006? If so, when
did the Company update it? If not, why not?
Response to IPUC Data Request 23
(a) Please refer to the Company's response to IPUC Data Request 21. The
Company does not have record of being informed of Powerhouse #1 being
off-line.
(b) The Company reviews contract obligations (example: contract minimums,
availability, etc.) on an annual basis to ensure qualifuing facilities (QF) are
operating in conformance with the terms.
(c) lnasmuch as the Company becomes aware that a QF is not meeting the terms
of its contract, the Company typically seeks to have the QF cure the issue
which is creating non-compliance per the terms of the contract. If necessary
and deemed appropriate, given any remedial action taken by the QF (or lack
thereof), the Company may pursue available legal action, as laid out in the
contract, to enforce the terms of the contract.
(d) No, the Company has not updated its QF forecast in its Integrated Resource
Plan (IRP) specifically to account for any change in CDM Hydro / Felt Hydro
/ Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative QF's operation of Powerhouse #1.
However, yes, PacifiCorp updates the QF forecast used in each published IRP
to reflect the latest Company available information. Please refer to the
Company's response to subpart (a) above.
Recordholder:
Sponsor:
Kyle Moore / Dan Swan
To Be Determined