COVID-19 Procedures: All business with the Commission should be through electronic filing systems, email, or by telephone. For public health safety, in-person visits to SCC offices are suspended. Filings or other deliveries are permitted by drop off at main entrance. On-site staff is minimal and processing of such deliveries may be delayed.
SCC News
Utilities
JUN 04, 2020
RICHMOND – The State Corporation Commission (SCC) invites comment from the public on the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) filed by Dominion Energy Virginia on May 1, 2020. An IRP is a forecast of Dominion’s load obligations and a plan to meet those obligations by supply side and demand side resources over the next 15 years.
The Commission directed the company to include certain additional information in its 2020 IRP related to recent legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly. The Commission also required Dominion to include a residential bill analysis showing projected annual impacts to a residential bill over the next 10 years, as compared to the bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month as of May 1, 2020.
Based on the company’s billing analysis included in its May 14, 2020, supplemental filing, the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kWh per month is projected to be between $168.58 and $171.20 by 2030, an increase of between $52.40 and $55.02 per month over the current level of $116.18 (or an estimated annual increase of $628.80 to $660.24). This projected increase reflects a compound annual growth rate of 3.6 percent to 3.7 percent.
Comments may be submitted through the SCC’s website by October 20, 2020, at https://scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. Simply scroll down to case number PUR-2020-00035, and click SUBMIT COMMENTS.
A hearing for public witness testimony will be convened by telephone at 9:30 a.m. on October 22, 2020. Public witnesses intending to provide oral testimony must pre-register with the Commission by 5 p.m. on October 19, 2020. Witnesses will be called by SCC staff on October 22 to testify in the order in which they registered. Testimony will be limited to five minutes. The public witness hearing will be webcast at: https://scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting
Public witnesses wishing to provide testimony may pre-register in one of three ways:
- Completing a public witness form for case number PUR-2020-00035 on the SCC’s website at: https://scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting
- E-mailing the same form (PDF version on the same website as above) to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov
- Calling the SCC at 804-371-9141 during normal business hours (8:15 a.m. – 5 p.m.) and providing their name and the phone number you wish the Commission to call to reach you during the hearing.
The Commission has scheduled a hearing on October 27, 2020, to receive opening statements, testimony and evidence offered by the company, respondents and the SCC staff. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the SCC’s courtroom on the second floor of the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street.
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Contact: Andy Farmer 804-371-9928
Utilities
JUN 01, 2020
The June 30 hearing replaces two previously scheduled local hearings on May 11 and 12 in Leesburg and Ashburn, cancelled because of the public health emergency related to COVID-19. Public witnesses intending to provide oral testimony must pre-register with the Commission by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 26, 2020. Witnesses will be called by SCC staff on June 30 to testify in the order in which they registered. Testimony will be limited to 5 minutes.
Public witnesses wishing to provide testimony may pre-register in one of three ways:
- Completing a public witness form on the SCC’s website at: https://scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting
- E-mailing the same form (PDF version on the same website as above) to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov
- Calling the SCC at 804-371-9141 during normal business hours (8:15 a.m. – 5 p.m.) and providing their name and the phone number you wish the Commission to call to reach you during the hearing.
Members of the public wishing to submit written comments may do so by August 24, 2020, at https://scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. Simply scroll to case number PUR-2019-00218 and submit comments.
The evidentiary hearing in this case has also been rescheduled for August 13, 2020, in the SCC’s courtroom in Richmond.
Case Number PUR-2019-00218 – Application of Toll Road Investors Partnership II, L.P. for an increase in the maximum level of tolls
Contact: Allan Sharrett (804) 371-9968
Utilities
MAY 29, 2020
RICHMOND – The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is offering the opportunity for public comments to be received by telephone regarding a request by Kentucky Utilities Company, doing business as Old Dominion Power Company, to reduce its fuel rate.
Kentucky Utilities is proposing to decrease its fuel factor by $0.00440 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from $0.02623 per kWh to $0.02183 per kWh, effective for service rendered on and after April 1, 2020. For the average residential customer using 1,000 kWh per month, it represents a decrease of $3.15 per month.
Electronic public witness testimony will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Public witnesses may access the hearing by dialing 1-804-299-5840 and entering the conference ID of 635657397.
The deadline for filing written comments also has been extended. Comments may be submitted through the SCC’s website by June 10, 2020, at https://scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. Simply scroll down to case number PUR-2020-00029, and click SUBMIT COMMENTS.
The evidentiary hearing in this case will follow the public witness testimony. The hearing will be webcast on the SCC website by visiting: https://scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting. A link to the live webcast will appear on the site 10 minutes before the start of the hearings.
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Case Number PUR-2020-00029 – Application of Kentucky Utilities Company to revise its fuel factor
Contact: Andy Farmer (804) 371-9928
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Utilities
MAY 27, 2020
RICHMOND – The State Corporation Commission (SCC) will hear additional public witness testimony on Monday, June 8 regarding the Virginia Natural Gas Header pipeline project. It will be a virtual hearing, webcast by the Commission. The deadline for filing written comments is also extended to June 8, 2020.
The process for public witness testimony will be different than the public hearing held on May 12. At that hearing, 30 public witnesses called the Commission to testify. For the June 8 hearing, the Commission will call public witnesses who pre-register with the Commission prior to 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 4. The deadline to register is two business days in advance of the Monday, June 8 telephonic hearing that begins at 10 a.m. Each witness will have five minutes to provide testimony.
Public witnesses wishing to provide testimony may pre-register in one of three ways:
- Completing a public witness form on the Commission’s website at: https://scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting
- E-mailing the same form (PDF version on the same website as above) to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov
- Calling the SCC at 804-371-9141 during normal business hours (8:15 a.m. – 5 p.m.) and providing their name and the phone number you wish the Commission to call to reach you during the hearing.
The day of the hearing, public witnesses should listen to the webcast. They will hear they are about to be called. The call identifying number will be 804-299-5840. Upon receiving a call from that number, turn down the volume of the webcast and listen to the instructions received by phone.
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Case number PUR-2019-00207 – Virginia Natural Gas Header Improvement Project
Contact: Ken Schrad (804) 371-9858
Utilities
MAY 26, 2020
RICHMOND – The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is offering the opportunity for public comments regarding its orders suspending utility service disconnections for non-payment of bills because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency.
On March 16, 2020, early in the emergency, the SCC ordered a temporary suspension for 60 days of utility service disconnections for non-payment of utility bills. The purpose was to protect customers impacted without warning by the severe economic repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis.
In April, the SCC extended its suspension order for an additional 30 days, to June 15, 2020. In that extension order, the SCC warned that the costs of unpaid utility bills eventually are borne by other utility customers, many of whom may themselves be struggling to pay bills during the economic crisis.
In today’s order, the Commission said, “While we recognize the hardships faced by many Virginians as a result of the COVID-19 catastrophe, the reality is that a moratorium on all service disconnections due to unpaid bills is not sustainable on an unlimited basis in the absence of programs to ensure that the growing costs of unpaid bills are not unfairly shifted to other customers.”
The Commission requests commenters to address several specific questions:
- Should the mandatory moratorium on utility service disconnections currently in place be extended beyond June 15, 2020? If so, for how long?
- If the commenter advocates extending the mandatory moratorium on service disconnections indefinitely or for a significant period beyond June 15, please identify the programs and mechanisms, public or private, that will provide sufficient funding to ensure that costs of unpaid utility bills are defrayed and will not result in even higher costs on other utility customers.
- Should the mandatory moratorium on service disconnections be replaced on June 15 (or some specific later date) with voluntary measures by utilities to reduce or avoid service disconnections, such as offering extended payment plans with no late fees and/or waivers of reconnection charges?
Comments may be submitted through the SCC’s website by June 5, 2020, at https://scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. Simply scroll down to case number PUR-2020-00048 and click SUBMIT COMMENTS.
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Case Number PUR-2020-00048 – SCC Ex Parte: Temporary Suspension of Tariff Requirements
Contact: Andy Farmer (804)-371-9928
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Utilities
MAY 07, 2020
Under a purchase power agreement, a non-utility developer installs solar panels on a customers’ property and then sells the electricity generated by them back to that customer at a price that is usually less than electricity provided by the utility company.
The 2020 Virginia General Assembly adopted legislation to expand the existing pilot program that was established in 2013. Because of high interest in the program, the SCC is authorizing pre-registration to begin for a portion of the new statutory limit. However, the notices of intent that can be submitted beginning May 14, 2020, will not become effective until July 1, the effective date of the new law.
For eligible renewable generation located in the Dominion Energy Virginia service territory, the statutory cap has increased from 50 megawatts to 500 megawatts for jurisdictional customers (residential and business) and 500 megawatts for non-jurisdictional customers (local, state and federal government). The SCC is limiting pre-July 1 registration to a maximum of 125 megawatts for jurisdictional customers and 125 megawatts for non-jurisdictional customers.
When the pilot program in Dominion’s territory had become fully subscribed, the Commission had received notices of intent for 49.99 megawatts of potential generation, comprising 9 owner-operators and 162 customer-generators. All of it is solar generation.
The previous statutory cap had not been reached in the Appalachian Power service territory. The new law, however, increases the cap from 7 megawatts to 40 megawatts. For the Appalachian Power pilot, the SCC is limiting pre-July 1 registration to a maximum of 10 megawatts.
In no instance may a single individual or entity pre-register more than 3 megawatts in either service territory. For more information on the renewable energy pilot program, please visit: https://www.scc.virginia.gov/pages/Renewable-Energy-Pilot-Program.
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Case number PUR-2020-00081 - Order Authorizing Pilot Capacity Pre-Registrations
Contact Ken Schrad 804-371-9858
Utilities
APR 14, 2020
RICHMOND – The State Corporation Commission (SCC) invites comment from the public on an application by Appalachian Power Company for a triennial review of the company’s rates, terms and conditions for the provision of generation, distribution and transmission services.
The company requests an increase in its annual revenue requirement of $65 million, a five percent increase in overall revenues. The company states that the requested revenue requirement would result in an increase in residential rates of 6.5 percent over the rates in effect as of March 31, 2020, resulting in a monthly bill of $120.40 for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity.
Persons desiring to submit comments electronically may do so by September 8, 2020, at the SCC’s website at https://scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. Find the comment box for case number PUR-2020-00015, and hit the SUBMIT COMMENTS button.
The Commission has scheduled a hearing on September 14, 2020, to receive opening statements, testimony and evidence offered by the company, respondents and the SCC staff. The hearing will begin at 1 p.m. in the SCC’s courtroom on the second floor of the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street.
Considering the ongoing public health emergency related to the spread of COVID-19, the Commission will subsequently schedule, to the extent practicable, oral public comment in this matter to be noticed by an SCC order and news release.
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Case Number PUR-2020-00015 – Application of Appalachian Power Company for a 2020 triennial review of its base rates, terms and conditions
Contact: Andy Farmer 804-371-9928
Utilities
APR 09, 2020
The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is extending by 30 days a suspension on utility service disconnections it ordered on March 16, 2020. The order prohibited disconnections of electricity, gas, water and sewer utility services during the coronavirus public health emergency.
The Commission’s order extends the ban on service disconnections through June 14, 2020. It was originally May 15. The case remains open during the emergency.
The Commission said, “While we fervently wish otherwise, … it appears that the devastating economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are unlikely to abate significantly” by mid-May, making the extension order necessary.
Although extending the ban through June 14, the Commission cautions that customers still owe payment for utility services received. In its order, the SCC wrote, “If such bills are never paid, the costs of these unpaid bills (accounts uncollectible) … do not disappear; they are shifted to other customers, who themselves may be struggling to make ends meet in the economic catastrophe caused by the pandemic.”
The Commission also noted that its March 16 order and the extension are intended “to protect those Virginia residential and business customers who, through no fault of their own, become temporarily unable to access sufficient cash to pay their utility bills on a timely basis due to the severe economic consequences” of the pandemic. Accordingly, the orders are not retroactive to earlier unpaid bills that were not caused by the COVID-19 health crisis. However, some companies have voluntarily chosen to reconnect past customers.
The Commission also strongly urges utilities to:
- Make extraordinary efforts to avoid disconnections for medically vulnerable customers.
- Work with customers already in arrears or disconnected who are seeking reconnection.
- Offer extended or flexible payment plans until the emergency has passed.
- Waive reconnection fees.
For customers whose payment arrearages are due to the coronavirus emergency, the Commission ordered that late payment fees not be assessed.
During the COVID-19 emergency, there may be further orders of the Commission on any issues necessitated by the crisis.
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Case numbers: PUR-2020-00048, PUR-2020-00049Order Extending Suspension of Service Disconnections
Contact: Ken Schrad (804) 371-9858
Utilities
APR 01, 2020
RICHMOND — April is National Safe Digging Month, and the State Corporation Commission’s Division of Utility and Railroad Safety (URS) reminds all Virginia residents to Dig with C.A.R.E. to help keep Virginia’s underground utility infrastructure damage-free and our communities, business districts and environment safe.
Dig with C.A.R.E. is a message for safe digging and its steps are summarized below:
Contact VA811 before you dig.Allow the required time for marking.
Respect and protect the marks.
Excavate carefully.
Whether you’re a professional excavator, contractor or homeowner, you have an important role in preventing damage to underground utilities. No matter how big or small your project is, contacting VA811 to request utility line markings before you dig will help avoid physical injury, property damage, costly repairs and service interruptions.
Contact VA811 by going online at www.va811.com. For most digging projects, online service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You may also call 811 Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding legal state and national holidays. Emergency notification service is available 24/7, 365 days a year.
For more information about safe digging and demolition, contact URS at (804) 371-9980 or visit the Damage Prevention page.
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Contact: Katha Treanor (804) 371-9141
Utilities
MAR 26, 2020
The State Corporation Commission (SCC) has approved certain provisions of the most recent electric grid transformation plan proposed by Dominion Energy Virginia. The approved elements include strengthening cyber security protections, improving service reliability through grid hardening, and a new computer platform to support customer service.
The SCC denied other plan elements due to the projected heavy costs to customers without adequate benefits. The rejected elements include Advanced Metering Infrastructure, commonly referred to as “smart meter technology.” And, grid upgrades and related features for which the company failed to justify what would be gained by the projected level of investment.
Dominion’s proposal, if approved in full, would have cost customers nearly $7 billion at full roll-out over 10 years. The elements of the initial phase approved by the SCC will, at a minimum, cost an estimated $212 million. The SCC rejected initial phase elements costing nearly $626 million. All cost figures include financing costs.
The SCC said, “We recognize the importance of the plan’s overall objectives. We have approved those elements in which the heavy costs to customers have been adequately justified by the overall benefits to customers, and we have denied approval to those elements whose heavy costs were not justified by the overall benefits to customers.”
Smart meter technology was one of the most expensive elements of the plan at $752 million in total costs. The Commission agreed again with a witness for environmental organizations in the first Dominion grid transformation proceeding (Case PUR-2018-00100), who said that smart meters “are beneficial and cost-effective only to the extent the Company utilizes them to maximize the potential gains of rate optionality, energy efficiency, demand response and distributed energy resources.”
In this case, the SCC found that Dominion had again failed to justify its smart meter proposal with a plan, including a well-crafted rate design, that could maximize the potential for benefits to customers through energy efficiency and demand response pricing (time of use rates). For the components approved by the Commission, any costs that exceed the current estimates must be proven by the company in a future proceeding before recovery of those costs from ratepayers will be permitted.
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Case Number PUR-2019-00154
View Final Order
Contact: Ken Schrad (804) 371-9858