| Promoting Wholesale Competition Through Open Access Services by Public Utilities
Recovery of Stranded Costs by Public Utilities and Transmitting Utilities | Docket No. RM95-8-000 Docket No. RM94-7-001 |
In the Open Access NOPR, the Commission determined that in order to remedy undue discrimination, a utility must functionally unbundle its wholesale services, and that among the things required by functional unbundling is that the utility, when buying or selling power, rely upon the same electronic network that its transmission customers rely upon to obtain transmission information. Accordingly, the Commission accompanied its issuance of the Open Access NOPR with issuance of a notice of technical conference that initiated a proceeding in Docket No. RM95-9-000 to consider whether Real-Time Information Networks (RINS) or some other option would be the best means to ensure that potential customers of transmission services have access to the information necessary to obtain open access transmission service on a non-discriminatory basis. 403/
The Commission affirms its conclusion that in order to remedy undue discrimination in the provision of transmission services it is necessary to have non-discriminatory access to transmission information, and that an electronic information system and standards of conduct are necessary to meet this objective. Therefore, we issue, in conjunction with this Final Rule, a final rule adding a new Part 37 that requires the creation of a basic OASIS and standards of conduct. 404/
The Phase I OASIS rules require each public utility (or its agent), as defined in section 201(e) of the Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. _ 824(e), that owns, controls, or operates facilities used for the transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce to develop and/or participate in an OASIS. The Phase I OASIS rules describe what information must be provided on the OASIS during Phase I and how OASIS must be implemented.
In addition, the new Part 37 contains a code of conduct applicable to all transmission providing public utilities. The code of conduct is designed to ensure that preferential access to information about wholesale transmission prices and availability is not available to employees of the public utility engaged in wholesale marketing functions or to employees of certain of the public utility's affiliates.
Convergence Research - 5/2/96