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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20240215Final_Order_No_36086.pdf ORDER NO. 36086 1 Office of the Secretary Service Date February 15, 2024 BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION IN THE MATTER OF AVISTA’S ANNUAL COMPLIANCE FILING TO UPDATE THE LOAD AND GAS FORECASTS IN THE INCREMENTAL COST INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN AVOIDED COST MODEL TO BE USED FOR AVOIDED COST CALCULATIONS ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) CASE NO. AVU-E-23-13 ORDER NO. 36086 On September 19, 2023, Avista Corporation (“Company”) submitted a compliance filing requesting an order accepting its updated load forecast, natural gas price forecast, and contract information components used as inputs to calculate its incremental cost Integrated Resource Plan (“IRP”) avoided cost rates (“Filing”). On December 13, 2023, the Commission issued Order No. 36023 approving the Company’s Filing subject to a compliance filing (“Compliance Filing”) requiring the Company to use current data in its forecast and explain the differences between its updated forecasts and last year’s forecasts. Order Nos. 32697 and 36023. On December 20, 2023, the Company submitted a Compliance Filing. At the Commission’s January 16, 2024, Decision Meeting, Staff presented a Decision Memorandum which noted that Staff had reviewed the Company’s Compliance Filing and recommended the Commission issue an Order specifying that the Company had fully complied Commission requirements as set forth in Order Nos. 32697 and 36023. COMMISSION FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION The Commission has jurisdiction over this matter under Idaho Code §§ 61-501, -502 and - 503. The Commission is empowered to investigate rates, charges, rules, regulations, practices, and contracts of public utilities and to determine whether they are just, reasonable, preferential, discriminatory, or in violation of any provision of law, and to fix the same by order. Idaho Code §§ 61-502 and -503. In addition, the Commission has authority under Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (“PURPA”) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) regulations to set avoided costs, to order electric utilities to enter fixed-term obligations for the purchase of energy from QFs, and to implement FERC rules. The Commission may enter any final order consistent with its authority under Title 61 and PURPA. ORDER NO. 36086 2 We have reviewed the record in this case. We find that the Compliance Filing complies with the requirements of Order No. 32697 in that it uses sufficiently current data. We also find that the Compliance filing adequately explains the differences between the current forecasts and the forecasts provided last year as required by Order No. 36023. For these reasons, the Commission finds that the updated forecasts are sufficiently current for use in the Company’s IRP-based avoided cost model. Accordingly, the Commission approves the Filing as updated by the Company’s Compliance Filing with an effective date of January 1, 2024. O R D E R IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Company’s Filing as updated is approved effective as of January 1, 2024. THIS IS A FINAL ORDER. Any person interested in this Order may petition for reconsideration within twenty-one (21) days of the service date of this Order about any matter decided in this Order. Within seven (7) days after any person has petitioned for reconsideration, any other person may cross-petition for reconsideration. Idaho Code § 61-626. DONE by Order of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission at Boise, Idaho this 15th day of February 2024. __________________________________________ ERIC ANDERSON, PRESIDENT __________________________________________ JOHN R. HAMMOND JR., COMMISSIONER __________________________________________ EDWARD LODGE, COMMISSIONER ATTEST: Monica Barrios-Sanchez Commission Secretary I:\Legal\ELECTRIC\AVU-E-23-13_Forecast\orders\AVUE2313_Comp_md.docx