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TITLE 16ECONOMIC REGULATION
PART 2PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS
CHAPTER 25SUBSTANTIVE RULES APPLICABLE TO ELECTRIC SERVICE PROVIDERS
SUBCHAPTER JCOSTS, RATES AND TARIFFS
DIVISION 1RETAIL RATES
RULE §25.231Cost of Service

(a) Components of cost of service. Except as provided for in subsection (c)(2) of this section, relating to invested capital; rate base, and §23.23(b) of this title, (relating to Rate Design), rates are to be based upon an electric utility's cost of rendering service to the public during a historical test year, adjusted for known and measurable changes. The two components of cost of service are allowable expenses and return on invested capital.

(b) Allowable expenses. Only those expenses which are reasonable and necessary to provide service to the public will be included in allowable expenses. In computing an electric utility's allowable expenses, only the electric utility's historical test year expenses as adjusted for known and measurable changes will be considered, except as provided for in any section of these rules dealing with fuel expenses.

  (1) Components of allowable expenses. Allowable expenses, to the extent they are reasonable and necessary, and subject to this section, may include, but are not limited to the following general categories:

    (A) Operations and maintenance expense incurred in furnishing normal electric utility service and in maintaining electric utility plant used by and useful to the electric utility in providing such service to the public. Payments to affiliated interests for costs of service, or any property, right or thing, or for interest expense will not be allowed as an expense for cost of service except as provided in the Public Utility Regulatory Act §36.058.

    (B) Depreciation expense based on original cost and computed on a straight line basis as approved by the commission. Other methods of depreciation may be used when it is determined that such depreciation methodology is a more equitable means of recovering the cost of the plant.

    (C) Assessments and taxes other than income taxes.

    (D) Federal income taxes on a normalized basis. Federal income taxes must be computed according to the provisions of the Public Utility Regulatory Act §36.060.

    (E) Advertising, contributions and donations. The actual expenditures for ordinary advertising, contributions, and donations may be allowed as a cost of service provided that the total sum of all such items allowed in the cost of service must not exceed three-tenths of 1.0% (0.3%) of the gross receipts of the electric utility for services rendered to the public. The following expenses must be included in the calculation of the three-tenths of 1.0% (0.3%) maximum:

      (i) funds expended advertising methods of conserving energy;

      (ii) funds expended advertising methods by which the consumer can effect a savings in total electric utility bills;

      (iii) funds expended advertising methods to shift usage off of system peak; and

      (iv) funds expended promoting renewable energy.

    (F) Nuclear decommissioning expense. The following restrictions must apply to the inclusion of nuclear decommissioning costs that are placed in an electric utility's cost of service.

      (i) An electric utility owning or leasing an interest in a nuclear-fueled generating unit must include its cost of nuclear decommissioning in its cost of service. Funds collected from ratepayers for decommissioning must be deposited monthly in irrevocable trusts external to the electric utility, in accordance with §25.301 of this title (relating to Nuclear Decommissioning Trusts). All funds held in short-term investments must bear interest. The level of the annual cost of decommissioning for ratemaking purposes will be determined in each rate case based on an allowance for contingencies of 10% of the cost of decommissioning, the most current information reasonably available regarding the cost of decommissioning, the balance of funds in the decommissioning trust, anticipated escalation rates, the anticipated return on the funds in the decommissioning trust, and other relevant factors. The annual amount for the cost of decommissioning determined pursuant to the preceding sentence must be expressly included in the cost of service established by the commission's order.

      (ii) In the event that an electric utility implements an interim rate increase, including an increase filed under bond, an incremental change in decommissioning funding must be included in the increase.

      (iii) An electric utility's decommissioning fund and trust balances will be reviewed in general rate cases. In the event that an electric utility does not have a rate case within a five-year period, the commission, on its own motion or on the motion of commission staff, the Office of Public Utility Counsel, or any affected person, may initiate a proceeding to review the electric utility's decommissioning cost study and plan, and the balance of the trust.

      (iv) An electric utility must perform, or cause to be performed, a study of the decommissioning costs of each nuclear generating unit that it owns or in which it leases an interest. A study or a redetermination of the previous study must be performed at least every five years. The study or redetermination should consider the most current information reasonably available on the cost of decommissioning. A copy of the study or redetermination must be filed with the commission and a copy provided to the Office of Public Utility Counsel. An electric utility's most recent decommissioning study or redeterminations must be filed with the commission within 30 days of the effective date of this subsection. The five-year requirement for a new study or redetermination must begin from the date of the last study or redetermination.

    (G) Accruals credited to reserve accounts for self-insurance under a plan requested by an electric utility and approved by the commission. The commission may consider approval of a self insurance plan in a rate case in which expenses or rate base treatment are requested for a such a plan. For the purposes of this section, a self insurance plan is a plan providing for accruals to be credited to reserve accounts. The reserve accounts are to be charged with property and liability losses which occur, and which could not have been reasonably anticipated and included in operating and maintenance expenses, and are not paid or reimbursed by commercial insurance. The commission will approve a self insurance plan to the extent it finds it to be in the public interest. In order to establish that the plan is in the public interest, the electric utility must present a cost benefit analysis performed by a qualified independent insurance consultant who demonstrates that, with consideration of all costs, self-insurance is a lower-cost alternative than commercial insurance and the ratepayers will receive the benefits of the self insurance plan. The cost benefit analysis must present a detailed analysis of the appropriate limits of self insurance, an analysis of the appropriate annual accruals to build a reserve account for self insurance, and the level at which further accruals should be decreased or terminated.

    (H) Postretirement benefits other than pensions (known in the electric utility industry as "OPEB"). For ratemaking purposes, expense associated postretirement benefits other than pensions (OPEB) must be treated as follows:

      (i) OPEB expense must be included in an electric utility's cost of service for ratemaking purposes based on actual payments made.

      (ii) An electric utility may request a one-time conversion to inclusion of current OPEB expense in cost of service for ratemaking purposes on an accrual basis in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Rate recognition of OPEB expense on an accrual basis must be made only in the context of a full rate case.

      (iii) An electric utility will not be allowed to recover current OPEB expense on an accrual basis until GAAP requires that electric utility to report OPEB expense on an accrual basis.

      (iv) For ratemaking purposes, the transition obligation must be amortized over 20 years.

      (v) OPEB amounts included in rates must be placed in an irrevocable external trust fund dedicated to the payment of OPEB expenses. The trust must be established no later than six months after the order establishing the OPEB expense amount included in rates. The electric utility must make deposits to the fund at least once per year. Deposits on the fund must include, in addition to the amount included in rates, an amount equal to fund earnings that would have accrued if deposits had been made monthly. The funding requirement can be met with deposits made in advance of the recognition of the expense for ratemaking purposes. The electric utility must, to the extent permitted by the Internal Revenue Code, establish a postretirement benefit plan that allows for current federal income tax deductions for contributions and allows earnings on the trust funds to accumulate tax free.

Cont'd...

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