News Stories
Sponsored by Earth Etch. Regulatory insight and compliance solutions for today’s energy markets.
HB 15 Rulemaking Roundup
New Dockets Initiated To Implement New Law Going Into Effect In August
The Ohio Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has initiated several rulemakings to implement changes as a result of the recent passage of HB 15 which goes into effect on August 14, 2025.
An overview of three recently initiated separate rulemakings to address new law are presented below:
25-0710-GE-ORD
R.C. 4928.102 and 4929.221 instructs the Commission to adopt rules imposing certain notice requirements on competitive retail electric service suppliers (CRES) and competitive retail natural gas service suppliers (CRNGS), respectively, when residential and certain small commercial or non-mercantile commercial customers have a contract for a fixed introductory rate that converts to a variable rate upon the expiration of the fixed rate term.
Comments were due by July 11, 2025.
25-0729-GE-ORD
The amendments to R.C. 4928.08 and 4929.20 instruct the Commission to establish rules to require competitive retail electric service (CRES) suppliers and competitive retail natural gas service (CRNGS) suppliers, respectively, to maintain sufficient financial assurances to protect customers, electric distribution utilities, and natural gas companies in the event of a default. The new sections, R.C. 4928.103 and 4929.222, require the Commission to adopt rules regarding the customer account information needed to verify identity before switching CRES or CRNGS suppliers.
Workshop is scheduled for August 5, 2025, at 10:00 am in PUCO hearing room 11-B.
25-0741-EL-ORD
R.C. 4928.73 will allow for the creation of mercantile customer self-power systems, which provide electric generation service to one or more mercantile customers, and requires the Commission to adopt rules applicable to electric distribution utilities (EDUs) to implement the new statute. Additionally, R.C. 4928.105 requires the Commission to establish rules governing the process for an expedited return to an EDU’s standard service offer and permitting EDUs to recover the administrative costs of processing such requests through reasonable fees assessed to competitive retail electric service providers.
Workshop is scheduled for August 20, 2025, at 10:00 am in PUCO hearing room 11-B.
As background, among other things, the new bill does the following:
- 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;
- Prohibits electric utilities from recovering the cost of legacy generation resources, like OVEC, from ratepayers;
- Directs the PUCO to establish financial assurance standards for electric and gas suppliers while repealing the existing performance bond requirement for gas suppliers;
- 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;
- 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;
- Allows enroll-by-wallet for retail customers;
- 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;
- 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
- 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.
