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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20170828_Brandon1.pdfDECISION MEMORANDUM 1 DECISION MEMORANDUM TO: COMMISSIONER KJELLANDER COMMISSIONER RAPER COMMISSIONER ANDERSON COMMISSION SECRETARY COMMISSION STAFF FROM: BRANDON KARPEN DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL DATE: AUGUST 22, 2017 SUBJECT: ROCKY MOUNTAIN POWER’S NEW WIND CPCN APPLICATION; CASE NO. PAC-E-17-07 On July 3, 2017, Rocky Mountain Power applied for a Commission Order granting Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to construct or acquire four new Wyoming wind projects with a total combined capacity of 860 megawatts (MW). Further, the Company requests CPCNs for several transmission facilities, portions of which are associated with the Company’s Gateway West transmission project. The Company has also requested approval of binding ratemaking treatment for the investment in the combined projects, in accordance with Idaho Code § 61-541. The Company asserts that the projects will provide significant economic benefits for the Company’s customers, and that the projects are time- limited due largely to federal production tax credits. The Company stresses that the tax benefits depend on the Company quickly gaining regulatory approval, and thus request a final Order by March 30, 2018. On July 26, 2017, the Commission issued a Notice of Application and Order setting an intervention deadline of August 8, 2017, and directing Staff to develop a procedural schedule for the processing of this matter. Monsanto Company, PacifiCorp Idaho Industrial Customers, and the Idaho Irrigation Pumpers Association intervened. After convening with the parties, Staff now requests that the Commission adopt the following schedule, agreed upon by the parties. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Commission set a November 20, 2017 deadline for intervenor testimony, and a December 8, 2017 deadline for rebuttal testimony. On January 16, 2018, the Company will submit supplemental RFP results incorporating the wind projects. After DECISION MEMORANDUM 2 those results, Staff recommends that the Commission set a February 16, 2018 deadline for intervenor testimony concerning the RFP results, and a March 2, 2018 deadline for rebuttal testimony on the RFP results. Finally, Staff recommends that the Commission set a technical hearing on April 6, 2018. COMMISSION DECISION Does the Commission wish to adopt the recommended procedure schedule? M:PAC-E-17-07_bk2