27/08/2024
A Message to Our Customers
Dear valued customer,
Below you’ll find a public notice from the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) regarding a limited rehearing on the Grid Access Charge (GAC), which was established in our last rate case and implemented on March 8, 2024. The GAC only applies to certain residential customers with rooftop solar based on their rate plan. For those customers, the GAC appears under “Charges for electricity services” on the bill. Customers with an average 10-kilowatt solar system pay $2–3 per month.
The following public notice details how customers can participate in the GAC rehearing process. This is not a new rate case, and no other portion of the previous rate case will be reheard. For more information, please visit aps.com/ratecase or call (602) 250-2767.
Thank you,
APS
PUBLIC NOTICE OF LIMITED REHEARING AND PUBLIC COMMENT MEETINGS ON ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY'S ("APS") GRID ACCESS CHARGE IMPLEMENTED PURSUANT TO DECISION NO. 79293
(DOCKET NO. E-01345A-22-0144)
Summary
On March 5, 2024, the Arizona Corporation Commission (“Commission”) issued Decision No. 79293 in Docket No. E-01345A-22-0144 establishing an additional charge for APS residential rooftop solar and other residential distribution generation customers on (1) the Time-of-Use 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM Weekdays (“TOU-E”), (2) Time-of-Use 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM Weekdays with Demand Charge (“R-2”), or Time-of Use 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM with Demand Charge (“R-3”) schedules. APS has implemented the additional charge as the Grid Access Charge (“GAC”).
For the TOU-E customers, the monthly GAC is $0.242/kW-dc of nameplate generation capacity. For R-2 customers, the monthly GAC is $0.250/kW-dc of nameplate generation capacity. For R-3 customers, the monthly GAC is $0.215/kW-dc of nameplate generation capacity. Thus, assuming 10 kW-dc of nameplate generation capacity, the monthly GAC for a TOU-E customer is $2.42, for an R-2 customer is $2.50, and for an R-3 customer is $2.15. Residential solar customers on Legacy Solar Rates may also be impacted by the outcome of the limited rehearing granted in Decision No. 79318.
On April 16, 2024, the Commission issued Decision No. 79318 granting a limited rehearing on Decision No. 79293, focusing on the adoption of the GAC, including: (a) whether the GAC rate is just and reasonable; (b) whether the GAC rate should be higher or lower; (c) whether the GAC rate constitutes a discriminatory fee to solar customers; and (d) whether omission of the GAC would be discriminatory to non-solar customers.
NEITHER APS, THE COMMISSION’S UTILITIES DIVISION (“STAFF”) NOR ANY INTERVENOR HAS YET FILED ANY TESTIMONY REGARDING THE ISSUES CONCERNING THE GAC. THE COMMISSION IS NOT BOUND BY THE PROPOSALS OF APS, STAFF, OR ANY INTERVENORS. THE COMMISSION WILL DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE RELIEF TO BE GRANTED IN THE LIMITED REHEARING BASED ON THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED IN THIS MATTER. BASED ON THE EVIDENCE AND ARGUMENTS PRESENTED IN THE LIMITED REHEARING, THE COMMISSION COULD MAKE CHANGES RESULTING IN A GAC THAT IS HIGHER, LOWER, OR DIFFERENT THAN THE PRESENT GAC.
Viewing or Obtaining a Copy of Decision Nos. 79293 and 79318
Copies of Decision Nos. 79293 and 79318 are available from APS at www.aps.com/ratecase, through the Commission’s Docket Control Center at 1200 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona, and through the Commission’s Tucson office at 400 West Congress, Suite 218, Tucson, Arizona, during regular business hours. The documents may also be accessed through the Commission’s website www.azcc.gov using the e-Docket function.
Public Comment
The Commission will hold the following public comment meetings:
Date
Time
October 15, 2024 TELEPHONIC ONLY public comment 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., or until the last caller is finished speaking, whichever comes first.
1-877-309-3457 and enter participant no. 24601833204 # #.
October 28, 2024 TELEPHONIC AND IN-PERSON public comment 10:00 a.m. prior to the commencement of the hearing at 1200 West Washington, Phoenix, Arizona.
1-877-309-3457 and enter participant no. 801972877 # #.
Written public comments may be submitted by mailing a letter referencing Docket No. E-01345A-22-0144 to Arizona Corporation Commission, Consumer Services Section, 1200 West Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007, or by submitting comments on the Commission’s website (www.azcc.gov) using “Cases and Open Meetings” and “Make a Public Comment in a Docket.” If you require assistance, you may contact the Consumer Services Section at 602-542-4251 or 1-800-222-7000.
The Commission will impose a 3-minute time limit per speaker to ensure that everyone who desires to speak has an opportunity to do so.
Commission Public Hearing Information
The Commission will hold a hearing on this matter beginning October 28, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., at the Commission’s offices at 1200 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85007.
If you do not intervene in this proceeding, you will receive no further notice of the proceedings in this docket unless you sign up to Follow the Docket. However, all documents filed in this docket are available online (usually within 24 hours after docketing) at the Commission’s website (www.azcc.gov) using the e-Docket function. Information on how to Follow a Docket is available on the Commission’s website using “Cases and Open Meetings” and “Follow a Docket or Document Type.”
About Intervention
A PERSON INTERESTED IN THE ISSUES RAISED IN THE LIMITED REHEARING ONLY may be granted intervention if the outcome of the case will directly and substantially impact the person, and the person’s intervention will not unduly broaden the issues in the case. Intervention, among other things, entitles a party to present sworn evidence at hearing and to cross-examine other parties’ witnesses. Intervention is not required for you to appear at the hearing and provide public comment, to file written comments in the record of the case, or to receive emailed notice of each filing made in the case by following the docket.
Information about what intervention means, including an explanation of the rights and responsibilities of an intervenor, is available on the Commission’s website (www.azcc.gov) by clicking on “Cases and Open Meetings” and then clicking on “Intervene in a Case.” The information includes a Sample Intervention Request and a Fillable Intervention Request Form.
To request intervention, you must file a written request to intervene, either (a) by filing a hard copy request (meeting filing requirements) with Docket Control (Docket Control, 1200 West Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007), or (b) by eFiling the request. Your request must be filed or eFiled no later than September 16, 2024. Instructions and restrictions for eFiling are available on the Commission’s website at http://azcc.gov/hearing/efile-for-utilities-instruction. You also must serve a copy of the request to intervene on each party of record, on the same day that you file the request to intervene with the Commission.
Your request to intervene must contain the information below:
Your name, address, and telephone number;
The docket number for the case in which you are requesting to intervene;
A short statement explaining:
Your interest in the proceeding (e.g., a customer of the regulated company involved, a property owner in an area to be affected by the case, etc.),
How you will be directly and substantially affected by the outcome of the case, and
Why your intervention will not unduly broaden the issues in the case;
A statement certifying that you have sent a copy of your request to intervene to the regulated company or its attorney and to all other parties of record in the case; and
If you are not represented by an attorney who is an active member of the Arizona State Bar, and you are not representing yourself as an individual, sufficient information and any appropriate documentation to demonstrate compliance with Arizona Supreme Court Rules 31.1, 31.2, 31.3, 38, 39, and 42, as applicable. This only applies if you are NOT representing yourself and you are not a licensed attorney.
The granting of motions to intervene shall be governed by A.A.C. R14-3-105, except that all motions to intervene must be filed on or before September 16, 2024.
ADA/Equal Access Information
The Commission does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to its public meetings. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation such as a sign language interpreter, as well as request this document in an alternative format, by contacting the ADA Coordinator, Carolyn Buck, E-mail [email protected], voice phone number 602-542-2247. Requests should be made as early as possible and no later than 48 hours in advance of the event to allow time to arrange the accommodation.
Check here to sign up for Consumer Alerts from the Corporation Division. To receive alerts for your business register at eCorp.azcc.gov.Please call 602-542-3026 with questions for the Corporations Division.
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