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PUC Reafirms Utility’s SOS Proxy-Pricing Methodology
On June 8, 2026 the New Hampshire PUC issued procedural order on the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) January 16, 2026 motion for rehearing of the December 19, 2025 order.
Among other things the New Hampshire PUC:
(1) “finds that no colorable procedural defects or due process ‘violations’ were established by the DOE in its pleadings or arguments made in connection with the DOE’s advocacy for a reversion to the prior-established proxy-pricing methodology applied by Liberty… and in favor of a reversion to the 12-month reconciliation cycle, nor does the Commission find any such defects sua sponte”;
(2) “in the interests of offering clarity to Liberty and the other parties, and predictable, affordable electric-supply rates to Liberty’s default service customers during these turbulent times… sets-aside in part and modifies in part Order No. 28,199 and directs Liberty, in its upcoming default service results filing for the August 2026-January 2027 default service rate period, to apply the proxy-price methodology and prior 12-month default service rate reconciliation cycle specified in Order No. 27,058, rather than the proxy-price methodology and 6-month reconciliation cycle“; and
(3) finding that “for Liberty, the issues of proxy-price methodology and default-service reconciliation schedules are ripe for review and should be adjudicated in a future default service proceeding,” deferred “those issues in a later phase of adjudication in Docket No. DE 26-023, with a hearing to be held in mid-November, and with a goal of implementing changes, if any, for the February-July 2027 Liberty default service rate period.”
As background, Liberty initiated this proceeding to procure default service for the six-month period 8/1/25-1/31/26 for 50% of the Small Customer Group (SCG). Liberty plans to solicit a bid price that includes the cost of all market products, including an all-inclusive bid price.
Per Order No. 28,127, Liberty will be self-supplying from the ISO-NE market the entire LCG and the remaining 50% of the SCG.
