The "Electric Choice and Competition Act" seeks to amend the Code of West Virginia by creating a competitive framework for non-residential retail customers with electricity demands exceeding one megawatt. This legislation allows these customers to purchase electricity from competitive service providers instead of being restricted to their incumbent electric utility. Key provisions include the establishment of load capacity allowances, a subscription queue for customers, and enhanced utility rate transparency. The bill also requires competitive service providers to be licensed by the Public Service Commission and includes oversight measures to prevent unreasonable cost shifting to non-participating ratepayers.

Additionally, the bill mandates electric utilities to provide detailed billing information to facilitate customer comparisons in the competitive market and allows non-residential customers to aggregate their loads for bulk purchasing. The Public Service Commission is tasked with opening a proceeding within six months of the bill's effective date to gather stakeholder input and must promulgate necessary rules within nine months. An annual report summarizing the competitive bid process and market participation will be submitted to the Governor and the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, detailing licensing fees, service queue rankings, and megawatts procured from third-party sources.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 24-9-1, 24-9-2, 24-9-3, 24-9-4, 24-9-5, 24-9-6, 24-9-7, 24-9-8, 24-9-9