AIEC helps member companies better engage electric power issues, more closely monitor the issues – including legislative and PSC regulatory activities – and develop public policy for electricity in the state of Alabama. This effort provides the group important information about developments in the energy field, influences policy decisions of the PSC and APCo, and helps guide member companies for their own specific planning purposes. Among other things:
- We work closely with Alabama Power Company and the staff and Commissioners of the Public Service Commission to ensure the voice of industrial energy consumers is heard in all matters of decision and policy.
- AIEC has favorably affected issues concerning Rate ECR for all customer classes, has helped industrial customers by securing the implementation of seasonal ECR, influencing better timing for revisions to Rate ECR, improving cost allocations under Rate CNP and APCo’s disaster reserve fund, and otherwise serving as a watchdog for the decisions by APCo.
- AIEC regularly intervenes in APCo proceedings and has secured protections for all rate classes. In two recent wind projects, AIEC intervened and tested APCo’s cost and revenue projections. AIEC secured an agreement that APCo prove an economic justification before exercising a contract option to accept delivery of wind energy at additional cost when the producer’s obligation to sell is suspended because of cost caps.
- When coal and gas prices spiked in response to the global economic crisis in 2008, AIEC contested a petition to raise the fuel rate (ECR) by 50%, and reached a settlement for a 28% hike, or 39.83 mills. The next year ECR was reduced to 27.31 mills and today is 26.81 mills.
- In 2013 AIEC was appointed by Governor Robert Bentley to the core team of the Alabama Policy Academy – a project of the National Governors Association – to develop a state plan for industrial energy efficiency. The plan was unveiled at Governor Bentley’s energy summit in June, 2013.
- In 2014, by executive order No. 43 Governor Bentley appointed AIEC to the state’s new Industrial Energy Advisory team.
- AIEC follows all electricity developments closely to protect members’ interests in stable, affordable, and reliable electricity service.