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On August 13, 2026 parties filed exceptions to the recommended decision issued by the Maine PUC proceeding regarding the adoption of a formulaic adjustment to the net energy billing (NEB) Project Charge. The charge was established in P.L. 2025, ch. 430 to offset NEB costs to ratepayers and MEPUC’s implementation of that law in ch. 313 of its rules included a provision for annually adjusting the charge to account for increased rates such that the increase in compensation related to rate credits does not exceed 2.25% annually.

Exceptions filed re: recommended decision:

Maine Renewable Energy Resources Association and Coalition for Community Solar Access said they “continue to advocate that the project charge methodology must account for increases and decreases to rates,” recommending the ability to do so “can be achieved in two ways”: (i) “establishing a 25-year schedule of “allowable” revenue growth at 2.25%”; and (ii) “utilizing a formula for year-over-year changes where the adjustment may be positive or negative.”

OPA argued that the RD would undermine the statutory goal of constraining “the stranded cost impact of the NEB program going forward by capping rate increases at 2.25% per year for both [NEB] programs,” recommending MEPUC reject the RD and instead: (i) “use the net project charge formula for calculating changes to the Project Charge”; and (ii) “eliminate the 15% ‘subscriber discount’ reduction from the calculation.”