Under the Proposal, the term “Major Renewable Energy Facilities” would generally refer to generating facilities with a nameplate capacity of 25,000 kilowatts or more for which the New York state Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has executed an agreement for the acquisition of environmental attributes related to a solicitation issued by NYSERDA. The proposal also defines that term “Host Community” to mean a town or city in which a Major Renewable Energy Facility is located.

The Proposal describes a pathway towards implementing a program that would carry out the Act’s directives while balancing the interests of stakeholders including Host Communities, the owners of Major Renewable Energy Facilities, and electric utility ratepayers statewide. Specifically, the Proposal states that residential electric utility customers residing in a Host Community would receive an annual bill credit for each of the first ten years that a Major Renewable Energy Facility operates in that community. Funding for the bill credits would be provided by the owners of the major solar and wind renewable energy facilities by paying an annual fee of $500 per megawatt (MW) and $1,000 per MW, respectively, of nameplate capacity. The fees paid by a Major Renewable Energy Facility would be distributed equally among the residential utility customers within the Host Community of the facility.

The full text of the proposal and the full record of the proceeding may be viewed online at the Department of Public Service web page: www.dps.ny.gov. The Commission may adopt, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the action proposed and may resolve related matters.

Statements and analyses are not submitted with this notice because the proposed rule is within the definition contained in section 102(2)(a)(ii) of the State Administrative Procedure Act.

(20-E-0249SP1)