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EPSA PLEASED AT PRO-COMPETITION RESULT IN GEORGIA
Consumers Will Benefit from Competitive Power Procurement
WASHINGTON, D.C. - John E. Shelk, President and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), issued the following statement in response to today's unanimous vote by the Georgia Public Service Commission to accept a pro-competition settlement in a key electricity procurement case.
"Georgia consumers are the ultimate winners in today's decision. The settlement, to which EPSA is a party, effectively rejects attempts by Southern Company's Georgia Power subsidiary to permanently bypass the state's competitive power procurement rules.
"EPSA was pleased to join with every other party to the case in strongly opposing Southern's attempt to build multi-billion dollar baseload coal and nuclear plants without allowing other suppliers to serve Georgia consumers. Competitive suppliers offer all fuel options, including coal and nuclear.
"This result in a pivotal state like Georgia involving a vertically-integrated utility in the forefront of attempting to avoid competition sets a very important precedent."
Under the settlement, instead of granting Georgia Power's request for an exemption, the utility is required to hold an expedited competitive solicitation for baseload power supply in the 2016 to 2017 timeframe pursuant to the Public Service Commission's rules. The request for proposals is tentatively scheduled to be released on November 1, 2007 with a winning bidder selected by May 1, 2008.
"With increasing reports of rising costs for new power plants, state regulators wisely kept in place rules that will allow all power suppliers to earn the right to serve the state's consumers.
"Let this be a message to other utilities attempting the same end-run - your efforts to deny a meaningful role for competition will not be successful once the facts are known. The timing of today's decision couldn't be better as next week the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) will resume a joint dialogue on competitive procurement during NARUC's summer meeting in New York."
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CONTACT: JOHN SHELK
(202) 349-0154or 703-472-8660
EPSA is the national trade association representing competitive power suppliers, including generators and marketers. These suppliers, who account for nearly 40 percent of the installed generating capacity in the United States, provide reliable and competitively priced electricity from environmentally responsible facilities serving global power markets. EPSA seeks to bring the benefits of competition to all power customers.