On October 6, 2021, the Alberta Utilities Commission (the Commission) issued Decision 26521-D01-2021, in which it evaluated potential accounting treatments for transmission contributions paid by distribution utilities. Among the issues addressed in this proceeding is when to expense and when to finance transmission contributions, including the potential risks of either option.
On April 23, the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) released Decision 26061-D01-2021 on the “Commission-Directed Examination of Distribution Facility Owner Payments under the Independent System Operator Tariff Customer Contribution Policy.” Initiated in January, this generic, policy-oriented decision considers transmission contributions paid to the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) by a distribution utility. The decision examines:
The Commission has initiated a generic proceeding on the current AESO contribution policy to determine whether a contribution should be included in the distribution facility owner’s (DFO) or transmission facility owner’s (TFO) rate base.