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HB15 has passed both chambers of the Ohio legislature and was sent to Governor DeWine. 

As reported previously, the bill among other things:

(1) requires electric utility’s standard service offer (SSO) to be established only as a market-rate offer (MRO) by eliminating the electric security plan (ESP) option and making the MRO mandatory;

(2) prohibits electric utilities from recovering the cost of legacy generation resources, like OVEC, from ratepayers; 

(3) directs the PUCO to establish financial assurance standards for electric and gas suppliers while repealing the existing performance bond requirement for gas suppliers; 

(4) defines a small commercial customer as one whose demand does not exceed 25kW during the previous 12 months and making certain consumer protection requirements applicable to such small commercial customers; 

(5) requires a retail supplier that offers certain customers a contract for a fixed introductory rate that converts to a variable rate to send two notices containing certain information regarding the conversion to affected customers;

(6) allows enroll-by-wallet for retail customers; 

(7) allows any alternative billing and payment structures (including daily, weekly, or milestone-based payments; online only billing or payment; and prepayment) agreed to by C&I customers and retail electric suppliers;

(8) prohibits an electric utility from using any electric storage system to participate in the wholesale market if the utility purchased or acquired that system for distribution service; and 

(9) repeals provisions of law that allowed for certain solar energy resources to apply to the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) to receive payments for solar energy credits.