Washington Administrative Code

(1) Purpose. Consistent with chapters 80.28, 19.280, and 19.405 RCW, each electric utility has the responsibility to identify and meet its resource needs with the lowest reasonable cost mix of conservation and efficiency, generation, distributed energy resources, and delivery sys…

(1) Timing. Unless otherwise ordered by the commission, each electric utility must file an integrated resource plan (IRP) with the commission by January 1, 2021, and every four years thereafter.(2) IRP work plan. No later than 15 months prior to the due date of its IRP, the utili…

(1) The utility must demonstrate and document how it considered input from advisory group members in the development of its IRP and two-year progress report. Examples of how the utility may incorporate advisory group input include using modeling scenarios, sensitivities, and assu…

(1) Filing requirements – General. Unless otherwise ordered by the commission, each electric utility must file with the commission a CEIP by October 1, 2021, and every four years thereafter. The CEIP describes the utility's plan for making progress toward meeting the clean energy…

(1) Public comment. Interested persons may file written comments with the commission regarding a utility's CEIP and biennial CEIP update within sixty days of the utility's filing unless the commission states otherwise. (2) Approval process. The utility's CEIP and biennial CEIP up…

(1) Clean energy compliance report. Unless otherwise ordered by the commission, each electric utility must file a clean energy compliance report with the commission by July 1, 2026, and at least every four years thereafter. The report must:(a) Demonstrate whether and how the util…

(1) Advisory groups. The utility must demonstrate and document how it considered input from advisory group members in the development of its CEIP and biennial CEIP update. Examples of how the utility may incorporate advisory group input include: Using modeling scenarios, sensitiv…

(1) Incremental cost methodology. To determine the incremental cost of the actions a utility takes to comply with RCW 19.405.040 and 19.405.050, the utility must compare its lowest reasonable cost portfolio to the alternative lowest reasonable cost and reasonably available portfo…

(1) General. The commission may take enforcement action in response to a utility's failure to comply with the provisions of chapter 19.405 RCW, this chapter of the commission's rules, or a commission order implementing those requirements.(2) Procedure. The commission may take enf…

(1) In order to designate a REC or NPA for primary compliance under RCW 19.405.040 (1)(a) or to demonstrate progress towards an interim target established under RCW 19.405.060(1), a utility must comply with the requirements of this section. The requirements of this section apply …

(1) When submitting an integrated resource plan, clean energy implementation plan, clean energy action plan, or integrated system plan required by statute to the commission, a utility must demonstrate how its planned resource acquisition, resource retirement, and continued invest…

In order to use a REC or NPA to comply with the requirements of RCW 19.405.050(1), a utility must:(1) Ensure that any REC or NPA retired for compliance is consistent with all requirements of WAC 480-100-670, including the requirements specifically related to primary compliance; a…

WAC 480-100-999In this chapter, the commission adopts by reference all or portions of regulations and standards identified below. The publications, effective date, references within this chapter, and availability of the resources are as follows:(1) Title 18 Code of Federal Regula…

(1) Purpose. The purpose of these rules is to administer and enforce the provisions of chapter 80.28 RCW that govern community solar companies. The rules establish general requirements and specific regulations for registration, consumer protection, records, and reporting for such…

(1) "Administrator" means a person or entity that organizes and administers a community solar project on behalf of a community solar company. The administrator may be responsible for applying for the renewable energy system incentive on behalf of the system's owners and for perfo…

A community solar company may contract with or otherwise retain one or more administrators to perform tasks on the company's behalf that are subject to the rules under this chapter. If an administrator engages in conduct that violates any federal, state, or local law or regulatio…

Community solar companies must pay the following fees:Initial registration: $450Renewal registration: $350Amended registration: $150Regulatory fee: See WAC 480-103-030(2), minimum $20[Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040 and 80.04.160. WSR 18-20-098 (Docket UE-171033, General Order…

No person may engage in business as a community solar company in Washington without having registered with the commission. Engaging in business as a community solar company includes advertising, soliciting, offering, providing, or entering into an agreement to provide community s…

(1) Annual reports.(a) Community solar companies. Each community solar company must file a report on or before May 1st each year on the community solar company's operations within the state of Washington for the prior calendar year. The company must submit the annual report on th…

(1) Voluntary cancellation. A community solar company may petition the commission to cancel the company's registration. The company must notify its project participants of its intent to file any such petition no less than fifteen days in advance of making the filing and when maki…

An electric utility is not liable for incentive payments to a community solar company's project participants if the utility has disconnected utility service to the company due to the company's violation of a customer service agreement, such as nonpayment of the company's utility …

(1) Transparent administration. A community solar company must administer its community solar projects in a transparent manner that allows for fair and nondiscriminatory opportunities for customers, project participants, and applicants to participate.(2) Cost recovery and notice.…

(1) Services and charges limited. A community solar company may offer and provide only the community solar project services the commission has registered the company to provide and may provide a project participant only the services the participant has agreed in writing to receiv…

(1) General standards. Each community solar company must develop standards and qualifications for the persons it uses to perform the tasks required to administer and operate its community solar projects and provide its project services. A company may not hire, engage, or otherwis…

(1) No subscription without consent. No community solar company may subscribe any person to a community solar energy generation system without that person's prior written consent.(2) Identification of application form. Application forms to participate in a community solar project…

(1) Escrow or trust account. Community solar companies that collect deposits from customers, project participants, or applicants must maintain an escrow or trust account where the company will hold the deposits it collects.(2) Interest on deposits. Community solar companies that …

A community solar company must allow project participants to sell or otherwise transfer a portion or all of their interest in a community solar project, subject to the following conditions:(1) Neither the portion transferred nor any portion retained by the project participant is …

(1) Consent required. A community solar company may not disclose private consumer information to its affiliates, subsidiaries, or any other third party for the purposes of marketing services or product offerings to a customer, project participant, or applicant who does not alread…

(1) Complaints to the company. A community solar company must establish procedures for resolving complaints it receives from a customer, project participant, or applicant. At a minimum, the company must take the following actions when it receives such a complaint:(a) Acknowledge …

(1) Consent required. A community solar company may provide in electronic form, rather than paper, information a statute, rule, or commission order requires the company to provide to a customer, project participant, or applicant, only with the prior written or electronic consent …

(1) Testing frequency. A community solar company must test and report to project participants the accuracy of each of its community solar project's meters every twelve months.(2) Dispute resolution. If a project participant disputes any meter test result, the company or the custo…

Community solar companies receiving incentive payments must maintain and preserve, for a period of seven years, suitable records as may be necessary to determine the amount of incentive the company applied for and received. Such records must be open for examination at any time up…

(1) Initial notification. Each community solar company must notify the commission orally or by email of any accident that results in death or serious injury to any person occurring in connection with a company's community solar project or through contact with its facilities no la…

In this chapter, the commission adopts by reference the regulations and standards in Regulations to Govern the Preservation of Records of Electric, Gas, and Water Utilities, published by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) as the standards for rec…

The purpose of this chapter is to implement the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA), Title II, sections 201 and 210, and related regulations promulgated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 18 C.F.R. Part 292 Subparts A and C. If there is any c…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the rules in this chapter apply to any utility that is subject to the commission's jurisdiction under RCW 80.01.040, 80.04.010, and chapter 80.28 RCW, and qualifying facilities as defined herein. The rules in this chapter do not s…

The commission, in response to a request or on its own initiative, may grant an exemption from, or modify the application of, any rule in this chapter consistent with the standards and according to the procedures set forth in WAC 480-07-110 Exemptions from and modifications to co…

"Avoided costs" means the incremental costs to a utility of electric energy, capacity, or both that, but for the purchase from the qualifying facility or qualifying facilities, the utility would generate itself or purchase from another source."Back-up power" means electric energy…

(1) The owner or operator of a qualifying facility purchasing or selling electricity under this chapter must execute a written agreement with the utility stating at a minimum that:(a) The owner or operator of the qualifying facility will construct and operate all interconnected q…

(1) Obligation to purchase from qualifying facilities: A utility must purchase, in accordance with WAC 480-106-050 Rates for purchases from qualifying facilities, any energy and capacity that is made available from a qualifying facility:(a) Directly to the utility; or(b) Indirect…

(1) Tariff for purchases from qualifying facilities required: Each utility must file a tariff consistent with this chapter and with WAC 480-80-102 Tariff content.(2) Contracting procedures:(a) In the tariff required in subsection (1) of this section, each utility must file contra…

(1) Filing requirement. A utility must file by November 1st of each year, as a revision to its tariff described in WAC 480-106-030 Tariff for purchases from qualifying facilities, a schedule of estimated avoided costs that identifies, both separately and combined, its avoided cos…

(1) Rates for purchases by a utility:(a) Rates must be just and reasonable to the utility's customers and in the public interest;(b) Rates must not discriminate against qualifying facilities; and(c) Rates must not exceed the avoided cost to the utility of alternative energy, capa…

(1) General rules:(a) Rates for sales:(i) Shall be just and reasonable, and in the public interest; and(ii) Shall not discriminate against any qualifying facility in comparison to rates for sales to other customers served by the utility.Utilities may not deny service to a custome…

(1) Qualifying facility obligation to provide power during system emergencies: A qualifying facility may be required to provide energy or capacity to a utility during a system emergency only to the extent:(a) Provided by agreement between the qualifying facility and utility; or(b…

(1) Any costs of interconnection are the responsibility of the owner or operator of the qualifying facility entering into a power contract under this chapter. The utility must assess all reasonable interconnection and necessary system or network upgrade costs the utility incurs a…

(1) The rules in this chapter establish the requirements for various utility solicitations and procurements, including provisions governing competitive solicitations, all-source RFPs, targeted RFPs, independent evaluators and system emergencies. The rules in this chapter do not e…