George Wilkes and new PUC board member Ann Possis met on Tuesday, March 19 to conduct a Public Utilities Commission meeting. Grand Marais City Council representative Tim Kennedy was unable to attend the meeting.
The meeting was fairly brief, but resulted in passage of a resolution calling for Missouri Basin Municipal Power Agency (MRES) and Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA) to work together which will help PUC members to “reduce peak demand, save power supply or transmission expense, and operate a more efficient distribution system,” as stated in the resolution.
SMMPA will host and operate the MRES (AMI) Demand Reponses (Load Control) software.
AMI Pilot Update and Next Steps
The initial 100 meters are all installed and successfully operating. The staff is trained about how to install AMI meters, ensure they are communicating, and setup the meter in the billing system.
With this successful pilot, PUC will begin to complete the AMI build-out to avoid operating two-meter reading systems (AMI and manual), but this will take several months to accomplish. PUC will order 500 single-phase meters, which will be provided to customers. During the next few months, PUC staff will complete an inventory of the rest of the meters that need to be ordered.
Although the initial 24 load control receivers are installed, they aren’t functioning yet.
PUC is working with the vendors to get the system operating, having learned that many current load management participants are not capable of controlling whatever system they initially set up.
In some cases, significant electrical work will be required if a customer intends to use PUC’s load management programs.
PUC recommends first that all customers be notified that starting with the April bills, all previous customers will have their rates discontinued until the new equipment can be installed. A campaign to advertise the city’s demand response programs will be conducted, and customers will be asked to indicate their desire to be included. For those customers who need electrical work done on their system, they will have to pay for that work.
One AMI issue still to be addressed is an opt-out policy.
There are a few customers who have indicated that they do not want an AMI meter installed on their structure for a variety of reasons. Staff has reviewed a draft opt out policy and will bring it to the board for future consideration.
In the meantime, PUC will avoid installing an AMI meter for those customers who have asked to not be included.
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