The governing body of a municipal utility may elect to allow one or more customers to take service from an alternative retail electric supplier. A municipal utility may elect, at the discretion of its governing body, to become an alternative retail electric supplier. The utility must then comply with supplier rules. A municipal utility cannot elect to open its territory or to become a power supplier if it would place the tax-exempt status of the utility at risk. The act does not affect the rights of a municipality to create a utility.
All references are to the Illinois statutes except where specifically indicated.
A utility does not need approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission to provide competitive services to retail customers outside its service territory. The mandatory transition period ends January 1, 2005. Additional rate cuts are required by October 2002, but a utility may request a rate increase during the mandatory transition period if its earned rate of return on equity meets certain criteria. Suppliers must provide customers with quarterly summaries of power sources and emissions from the sources. Customer switching without written authorization from the customer is prohibited.