The staff considered the time needed by Virginia's electric utilities to effectively implement retail choice. Staff believes each utility has unique and distinctive characteristics that should be considered. Consequently the staff recommends transition plans that differ for individual utilities. The four investor-owned utilities serve approximately 600,000 retail customers. Dominion Virginia Power, with nearly two million retail customers, prefers to have retail choice introduced on a schedule that involves three steps over two years.
Staff recommends a one-year transition.
Residential customers in northern Virginia and one third of the statewide industrial load would receive retail choice on January 1, 2002. Residential customers in central and western Virginia as well as two-thirds of the statewide industrial load would receive retail choice on September 1, 2002. Hampton Roads would receive full retail choice on January 1, 2003. Under the staff's plan, Virginia's 13 electric cooperatives would be permitted to move to full retail choice at their own pace to be completed by January 1, 2003. Nearly 500,000 customers are served by electric cooperatives in Virginia.