Adjusted Metering Practice

Consultation has concluded

Application approved

On April 11, 2024, the Commission issued Decision 28441-D02-2024 approving the AESO's Application for Revised Adjusted Metering Practice Implementation Plan and Related Amendments to Independent System Operator Tariff and Rules. The AESO will work with impacted stakeholders to proceed with the implementation of the adjusted metering practice in accordance with the revised implementation plan, with an effective date of January 1, 2025.

The AESO thanks stakeholders for their contributions to the AMP consultation process. We appreciate and value the time and effort you took to participate and share your thoughts, insights and expertise.

Purpose

The AESO intends to file an application with the Alberta Utilities Commission (Commission) to confirm the Commission’s approval to implement the AESO’s Adjusted Metering Practice (AMP), and to address options for moving forward with the AMP in response to AUC Decision 27047-D01-2022.

Prior to filing this application, the AESO is engaging with stakeholders regarding the continued need and benefit of the AMP and potential approaches to implementing the AMP in light of AUC Decision 27047-D01-2022. Specifically, the AESO is engaging with stakeholders:

  1. To provide background and describe the ongoing need for the AMP, including through the review of system access service, a history of energy flows between the transmission and distribution systems, ISO tariff billing rate and cost allocation issues, and the increasing materiality of these issues in the absence of the AMP;
  2. To describe how DCG Credits are calculated, the impact of the AMP on DCG Credit amounts, and how the Commission’s approved phase-out of DCG Credits does not resolve billing determinant erosion;
  3. To show the impacts (or benefit) to ISO tariff billing from AMP implementation, based on the AESO’s indicative impact analysis; and
  4. To describe options for implementing the AMP in light of AUC Decision 27047-D01-2022.

The AESO is also engaging with stakeholders on its proposed revisions to existing ISO tariff provisions for totalized billing.

Background

The AMP is a practice of contracting, measuring, and billing for transmission system access service at substations that provide system access service to electric distribution systems in a way that reflects the actual usage of the transmission system. Under the AMP, all energy flows are individually aggregated to the point of delivery or point of supply based on the direction of flow across the border between the transmission and distribution systems.

On Dec. 10, 2021, the AESO filed an application requesting approval from the Commission of the AESO’s plan to implement the AMP, pursuant to directions issued by the Commission in AUC Decisions 25848-D01-2020 and 26215-D01-2021.

Following the conclusion of AUC Proceeding 27047, the Commission issued AUC Decision 27047-D01-2022 on May 31, 2022, denying approval of the AESO’s proposed AMP implementation plan. In that decision, the Commission questioned the value of implementing the AMP in light of the Commission’s approved phase-out of DCG Credits. The Commission directed the AESO, should it choose to re-file an application to implement the AMP, to include the following information:

  1. AACE Class 3 (-20% to +30%) estimates and forecast completion date for all scopes of work proposed in the implementation plan. Alternatively, the AESO could include in its implementation plan mechanisms for cost review and oversight of future phases of AMP implementation.
  2. AACE Class 5 (-50% to 100%) estimates for the total theoretical maximum cost of implementation across all phases.
  3. Quantification of the benefits of implementation of the AMP, including a cost-benefit analysis.

Application approved

On April 11, 2024, the Commission issued Decision 28441-D02-2024 approving the AESO's Application for Revised Adjusted Metering Practice Implementation Plan and Related Amendments to Independent System Operator Tariff and Rules. The AESO will work with impacted stakeholders to proceed with the implementation of the adjusted metering practice in accordance with the revised implementation plan, with an effective date of January 1, 2025.

The AESO thanks stakeholders for their contributions to the AMP consultation process. We appreciate and value the time and effort you took to participate and share your thoughts, insights and expertise.

Purpose

The AESO intends to file an application with the Alberta Utilities Commission (Commission) to confirm the Commission’s approval to implement the AESO’s Adjusted Metering Practice (AMP), and to address options for moving forward with the AMP in response to AUC Decision 27047-D01-2022.

Prior to filing this application, the AESO is engaging with stakeholders regarding the continued need and benefit of the AMP and potential approaches to implementing the AMP in light of AUC Decision 27047-D01-2022. Specifically, the AESO is engaging with stakeholders:

  1. To provide background and describe the ongoing need for the AMP, including through the review of system access service, a history of energy flows between the transmission and distribution systems, ISO tariff billing rate and cost allocation issues, and the increasing materiality of these issues in the absence of the AMP;
  2. To describe how DCG Credits are calculated, the impact of the AMP on DCG Credit amounts, and how the Commission’s approved phase-out of DCG Credits does not resolve billing determinant erosion;
  3. To show the impacts (or benefit) to ISO tariff billing from AMP implementation, based on the AESO’s indicative impact analysis; and
  4. To describe options for implementing the AMP in light of AUC Decision 27047-D01-2022.

The AESO is also engaging with stakeholders on its proposed revisions to existing ISO tariff provisions for totalized billing.

Background

The AMP is a practice of contracting, measuring, and billing for transmission system access service at substations that provide system access service to electric distribution systems in a way that reflects the actual usage of the transmission system. Under the AMP, all energy flows are individually aggregated to the point of delivery or point of supply based on the direction of flow across the border between the transmission and distribution systems.

On Dec. 10, 2021, the AESO filed an application requesting approval from the Commission of the AESO’s plan to implement the AMP, pursuant to directions issued by the Commission in AUC Decisions 25848-D01-2020 and 26215-D01-2021.

Following the conclusion of AUC Proceeding 27047, the Commission issued AUC Decision 27047-D01-2022 on May 31, 2022, denying approval of the AESO’s proposed AMP implementation plan. In that decision, the Commission questioned the value of implementing the AMP in light of the Commission’s approved phase-out of DCG Credits. The Commission directed the AESO, should it choose to re-file an application to implement the AMP, to include the following information:

  1. AACE Class 3 (-20% to +30%) estimates and forecast completion date for all scopes of work proposed in the implementation plan. Alternatively, the AESO could include in its implementation plan mechanisms for cost review and oversight of future phases of AMP implementation.
  2. AACE Class 5 (-50% to 100%) estimates for the total theoretical maximum cost of implementation across all phases.
  3. Quantification of the benefits of implementation of the AMP, including a cost-benefit analysis.
  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Instructions

    Once you have completed your comment matrix, you will be required to upload the comment matrix through the "Complete Stakeholder Feedback" box below.

    1. Please respond to the questions and provide your specific comments.
    2. Please upload one completed comment matrix per organization.
    3. To upload your completed comment matrix:
      1. You will need to be registered and signed in on the AESO Engage platform
      2. Please click on the "Complete Stakeholder Feedback" box below to upload your completed comment matrix
    4. Stakeholder Feedback results will be published on AESO Engage, in their original state.
    5. Responses due on or before August 11, 2023.

    Stakeholder Comment Matrix

    View the Stakeholder Comment Matrix here or in the AESO Materials section.

    Consultation has concluded
  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    The AESO is seeking written feedback from stakeholders on their perspectives as it relates to the continued need and benefit of the AMP and potential approaches to implementing the AMP in light of AUC Decision 27047-D01-2022,

    The AESO values stakeholder input and invites all interested stakeholders to provide their comments via the following Stakeholder Feedback form on or before April 21, 2023. Please be as specific as possible with your responses. Thank you for your input.

    Instructions

    1. To submit your feedback, you will need to be registered and signed in on the AESO Engage platform.
    2. Please click on the "Complete Stakeholder Feedback" box below to provide your specific comments.
    3. Please submit one completed Stakeholder Feedback form per organization.
    4. Stakeholder Feedback results will be posted on AESO Engage, in their original state.
    5. Responses due on or before April 21, 2023


    **Please note: During the development of the AESO's Q&A Session and Question Board Summary and AESO Replies document, the AESO deemed it necessary to augment question 6 in order to gather more valuable input from stakeholders.**

    Stakeholder Feedback Questions

    1. Do you support approval and implementation of the AMP? Why or why not? 

    2. Do you agree that the issue of billing determinant erosion due to the AESO’s current measurement practice, and the resulting impact of that erosion on rates and cost allocation, needs to be addressed? Why or why not? 

    3. The AESO has described the challenges in creating an accurate impact analysis in [Section 3]. Do you have any concerns, suggested improvements or different approaches to the impact analysis that has been carried out by the AESOin light of the challenges the AESO has described? If yes, please explain. 

    4. The AESO has described the challenges in obtaining the AACE Class 3 cost estimates directed by the Commission in Decision 27047-D01-2022The AESO has also described how it arrived at a theoretical maximum cost to implement the AMP, and existing capital cost oversight mechanisms that could be used for AMP implementation. Do you have any concerns with or suggested improvements to the foregoing? If yes, please explain. 

    5. If you support implementing the AMP, do you support implementing it with legacy treatment or without legacy treatment? Please explain. 

    6. If you support implementing the AMP, do you support implementing it in a manner that prioritizes the minimization of costs that would be recovered through ISO tariff rates? Why or why not? Are there other considerations or objectives that should be taken into account or prioritized by the AESO? 

    7. If you would like to upload a formatted version of your survey responses, please do so here.

    Consultation has concluded