Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 860 - PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION › Division 82 - SMALL GENERATOR INTERCONNECTION RULES › Section 860-082-0035 - Cost Responsibility

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
(1) Study costs.
			 Whenever a study is required under Tier 4 of the small generator
			 interconnection rules, the applicant must pay the public utility for the
			 reasonable costs incurred in performing the study. The public utility must base
			 study costs on the scope of work determined and documented in the feasibility
			 study agreement, the system impact study agreement, or the facilities study
			 agreement, as applicable. The estimated engineering costs used in calculating
			 study costs must not exceed $100 per hour. A public utility may adjust the $100
			 hourly rate once in January of each year to account for inflation and deflation
			 as measured by the Consumer Price Index. Before beginning a study, a public
			 utility may require an applicant to pay a deposit of up to 50 percent of the
			 estimated costs to perform the study or $1,000, whichever is less.
(2) Interconnection facilities. For
			 interconnection review under Tier 4, a public utility must identify the
			 interconnection facilities necessary to safely interconnect the small generator
			 facility with the public utility's transmission or distribution system. The
			 applicant must pay the reasonable costs of the interconnection facilities. The
			 public utility constructs, owns, operates, and maintains the interconnection
			 facilities.
(3) Interconnection
			 equipment. An applicant or interconnection customer must pay all expenses
			 associated with constructing, owning, operating, maintaining, repairing, and
			 replacing its interconnection equipment. Interconnection equipment is
			 constructed, owned, operated, and maintained by the applicant or
			 interconnection customer.
(4)
			 System upgrades. A public utility must design, procure, construct, install, and
			 own any system upgrades to the public utility's transmission or distribution
			 system necessitated by the interconnection of a small generator facility. A
			 public utility must identify any adverse system impacts on an affected system
			 caused by the interconnection of a small generator facility to the public
			 utility's transmission or distribution system. The public utility must
			 determine what actions or upgrades are required to mitigate these impacts. Such
			 mitigation measures are considered system upgrades as defined in these rules.
			 The applicant must pay the reasonable costs of any system upgrades.
(5) A public utility may not begin work on
			 interconnection facilities or system upgrades before an applicant receives the
			 public utility's good-faith, non-binding cost estimate and provides written
			 notice to the public utility that the applicant accepts the estimate and agrees
			 to pay the costs. A public utility may require an applicant to pay a deposit
			 before beginning work on the interconnection facilities or system upgrades.
(a) If an applicant agrees to make progress
			 payments on a schedule established by the applicant and the interconnecting
			 public utility, then the public utility may require the applicant to pay a
			 deposit of up to 25 percent of the estimated costs or $10,000, whichever is
			 less. The public utility and the applicant must agree on progress billing,
			 final billing, and payment schedules before the public utility begins
			 work.
(b) If an applicant does not
			 agree to make progress payments, then the public utility may require the
			 applicant to pay a deposit of up to 100 percent of the estimated costs. If the
			 actual costs are lower than the estimated costs, then the public utility must
			 refund the unused portion of the deposit to the applicant within 20 business
			 days after the actual costs are determined.