196.491(3b)(a)(a) A person who proposes to construct a high-voltage transmission line may apply for a certificate under this subsection if the construction is limited to adding conductors to existing transmission poles or towers and if all related construction activity takes place entirely within the area of an existing electric transmission line right-of-way.
196.491(3b)(b)
(b) The commission shall promulgate rules specifying the information that must be included in an application under this subsection. If the commission receives an application that complies with rules, the commission shall, as soon as practicable, notify the applicant that the commission has received a complete application.
196.491(3b)(c)
(c) The commission is considered to have issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity under
sub. (3) for construction specified in an application under
par. (a) unless the commission notifies the applicant, no later than 30 business days after the date on which the commission notifies an applicant under
par. (b) that the application is complete, that the commission has determined that the public interest requires the applicant to obtain a certificate under
s. 196.49.
196.491(3c)
(3c) Commencement of construction of large electric generating facilities. 196.491(3c)(a)(a) Except as provided in
par. (b), an electric utility that has received a certificate of public convenience and necessity under
sub. (3) for constructing a large electric generating facility shall commence construction no later than one year after the latest of the following:
196.491(3c)(a)1.
1. The date on which the commission issues the certificate of public convenience and necessity.
196.491(3c)(a)2.
2. The date on which the electric utility has been issued every federal and state permit, approval, and license that is required prior to commencement of construction.
196.491(3c)(a)3.
3. The date on which every deadline has expired for requesting administrative review or reconsideration of every federal and state permit, approval, and license that is required prior to commencement of construction.
196.491(3c)(a)4.
4. The date on which the electric utility has received the final decision, after exhaustion of judicial review, in every proceeding for judicial review described in
sub. (3) (j).
196.491(3c)(b)
(b) Upon showing of good cause, the commission may grant an extension to the deadline specified in
par. (a).
196.491(3c)(c)
(c) If an electric utility does not commence construction of a large electric generating facility within the deadline specified in
par. (a) or extended under
par. (b), the certificate of public convenience and necessity is void, and the electric utility may not commence construction of the large electric generating facility.
196.491(3g)
(3g) Fees for certain high-voltage transmission lines. 196.491(3g)(a)(a) A person who receives a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a high-voltage transmission line that is designed for operation at a nominal voltage of 345 kilovolts or more under
sub. (3) shall pay the department of administration an annual impact fee as specified in the rules promulgated by the department of administration under
s. 16.969 (2) (a) and shall pay the department of administration a one-time environmental impact fee as specified in the rules promulgated by the department of administration under
s. 16.969 (2) (b).
196.491(3g)(b)
(b) A person that pays a fee under
par. (a) may not use the payment to offset any other mitigation measure that is required in an order by the commission under
sub. (3) regarding the certificate of public convenience and necessity specified in
par. (a).
196.491(3m)(a)(a)
Commission approval required. Except as provided in
par. (e), an affiliated interest of a public utility may not own, control or operate a wholesale merchant plant without the approval of the commission. The commission shall grant its approval only if each of the following is satisfied:
196.491(3m)(a)1.
1. The public utility has transferred control over its transmission facilities, as defined in
s. 196.485 (1) (h), to an independent system operator, as defined in
s. 196.485 (1) (d), that is approved by the federal energy regulatory commission or the public utility has divested its interest in the transmission facilities to an independent transmission owner, as defined in
s. 196.485 (1) (dm).
196.491(3m)(a)2.
2. The commission finds that the ownership, control or operation will not have a substantial anticompetitive effect on electricity markets for any classes of customers.
196.491(3m)(b)1.1. The commission shall promulgate rules that establish requirements and procedures for an affiliated interest to apply for an approval under
par. (a). The rules shall do each of the following:
196.491(3m)(b)1.a.
a. Describe the showing that an applicant is required to make for the commission to grant an approval under
par. (a).
196.491(3m)(b)1.am.
am. Establish screening tests and safe harbors for proposed wholesale merchant plant projects, including projects in which an affiliated interest is a passive investor and over which the affiliated interest is not able to exercise control or influence and projects in which an affiliated interest's ownership interest is less than 5%.
196.491(3m)(b)1.b.
b. Describe the analytical process that the commission shall use in determining whether to make a finding under
par. (a) 2. and describe the factors specified in
subd. 3.
196.491(3m)(b)2.
2. The analytical process specified in
subd. 1. b. shall, to the extent practicable, be consistent with the analytical process described in the merger enforcement policy, as defined in
s. 196.485 (1) (dr).
196.491(3m)(b)3.
3. The commission shall use the following factors in determining whether to make a finding under
par. (a) 2.:
196.491(3m)(b)3.a.
a. The degree of market concentration resulting from the affiliated interest's proposed ownership, operation or control.
196.491(3m)(b)3.b.
b. The extent of control that the affiliated interest proposes to exercise over the wholesale merchant plant.
196.491(3m)(b)3.d.
d. Any other factor that the commission determines is necessary to determine whether to make a finding under
par. (a) 2.
196.491(3m)(c)1.a.
a. "Electric sale" means a sale of electricity that is generated at a wholesale merchant plant that is owned, operated or controlled by an affiliated interest.
196.491(3m)(c)1.b.
b. "Firm sale" means an electric sale in which electricity is intended to be available to a purchaser at all times during a specified period on an uninterruptible basis.
196.491(3m)(c)2.
2. The commission shall review any electric sale by an affiliated interest to a public utility with which the affiliated interest is affiliated. If the commission finds that an electric sale is not in the public interest, the commission shall do any of the following:
196.491(3m)(c)2.a.
a. Disallow the public utility's costs related to the sale in a rate-setting proceeding.
196.491(3m)(c)2.b.
b. Order the public utility to provide a refund, in an amount determined by the commission, to its customers.
196.491(3m)(c)2.c.
c. Order the public utility or affiliated interest to take any action that the commission determines is in the public interest, except that the commission may not order the public utility or affiliated interest to void the sale.
196.491(3m)(c)3.
3. An affiliated interest may not make any firm sale to a public utility with which the affiliated interest is affiliated if the firm sale satisfies any of the following:
196.491(3m)(c)3.b.
b. The period of the firm sale is less than 3 years and either the public utility or the affiliated interest has an option to extend the period to 3 years or more.
196.491(3m)(d)
(d)
Retail sales outside this state. The commission may not promulgate rules or issue orders that prohibit owners or operators of wholesale merchant plants from providing electric service to retail customers in another state.
196.491(3m)(e)
(e)
Exemption. An approval under
par. (a) is not required for an affiliated interest to own, operate or control a wholesale merchant plant in Grant County if the affiliated interest owned, operated or controlled the wholesale merchant plant before January 1, 1998.
196.491 Cross-reference
Cross Reference: See also s.
PSC 100.11, Wis. adm. code.
196.491(4)(b)(b) Subsection (3) does not apply to a person that constructs electric generating equipment and associated facilities if the person satisfies each of the following:
196.491(4)(b)1.
1. The person is not a public utility or a cooperative association organized under
ch. 185 for the purpose of generating, distributing or furnishing electric energy at retail or wholesale to its members only.
196.491(4)(b)2.
2. The person shows to the satisfaction of the commission that the person reasonably anticipates, at the time that construction of the equipment or facilities commences, that on each day that the equipment and facilities are in operation the person will consume no less than 70% of the aggregate kilowatt hours output from the equipment and facilities in manufacturing processes at the site where the equipment and facilities are located.
196.491(4)(c)1.1. A certificate under
sub. (3) is not required for a person to construct a high-voltage transmission line designed for operation at a nominal voltage of less than 345 kilovolts if all related construction activity takes place entirely within the area of an existing electric transmission line right-of-way.
196.491(4)(c)2.
2. The commission is not required to prepare an environmental impact statement under under
s. 1.11 (2) (c) for construction that is specified in
subd. 1., but shall prepare an environmental assessment regarding the construction if an environmental assessment is required under the commission's rules.
196.491(4)(c)3.
3. If construction or utilization of a high-voltage transmission line described in
subd. 1. is precluded or inhibited by a local ordinance, the construction and utilization of the line may nevertheless proceed.
196.491(5)
(5) Service standards for electric generation, transmission and distribution facilities. The commission shall promulgate rules that establish all of the following:
196.491(5)(a)
(a) Standards for inspecting, maintaining and repairing each of the following:
196.491(5)(a)1.
1. Electric generation facilities in this state that are owned by public utilities or provide service to public utilities under contracts with terms of 5 years or more.
196.491(5)(a)2.
2. Electric transmission or distribution facilities in this state that are owned by public utilities.
196.491(5)(b)
(b) Standards that the commission determines are necessary for the safe and reliable operation of each of the following:
196.491(5)(b)1.
1. Electric generation facilities in this state that are owned by public utilities or provide service to public utilities under contracts with terms of 5 years or more.
196.491(5)(b)2.
2. Electric transmission or distribution facilities in this state that are owned by public utilities.
196.491(6)
(6) Waiver. The commission may waive compliance with any requirement of this section to the extent necessary to restore service which has been substantially interrupted by a natural catastrophe, accident, sabotage or act of God.
196.491 Cross-reference
Cross Reference: See also ch.
PSC 112, Wis. adm. code.
196.491 Annotation
It was reasonable for the PSC to issue a certificate conditioned on the issuance of DNR permits when legislatively imposed time constraints could not have been met if sub. (3) (e) had been strictly followed and all permits required before the issuance of the certificate. Responsible Use of Rural & Agricultural Land v. PSC, 2000 WI 129,
239 Wis. 2d 660,
619 N.W.2d 888.
196.493
196.493
Construction of nuclear power plants limited. 196.493(1)(1)
Definition. In this section, "nuclear power plant" means a nuclear-fired large electric generating facility as defined under
s. 196.491 (1) (g).
196.493(2)(a)
(a) A federally licensed facility, or a facility outside of the United States which the commission determines will satisfy the public welfare requirements of the people of this state, with adequate capacity to dispose of high-level nuclear waste from all nuclear power plants operating in this state will be available, as necessary, for disposal of the waste; and
196.493(2)(b)
(b) The proposed nuclear power plant, in comparison with feasible alternatives, is economically advantageous to ratepayers, based upon:
196.493(2)(b)1.
1. The existence of a reliable and adequate nuclear fuel supply;
196.493(2)(b)2.
2. The costs for construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants and for nuclear waste disposal; and
196.493(2)(b)3.
3. Any other factor having an impact on the economics of nuclear power plants, as determined by the commission.
196.493 History
History: 1983 a. 401;
1997 a. 204.
196.493 Cross-reference
Cross Reference: See also ch.
PSC 111, Wis. adm. code.
196.494
196.494
Regional transmission planning. 196.494(1)(a)
(a) "Electric utility" means a public utility, other than a municipal utility, as defined in
s. 196.377 (2) (a) 3., that provides retail electric service to customers in this state.
196.494(1)(b)
(b) "Transmission facility" means any pipe, pipeline, duct, wire, line, conduit, pole, tower, equipment or other structure used for the transmission of electric power as determined by the commission.
196.494(2)
(2) The commission shall conduct a study on identifying and relieving any constraint on an intrastate or interstate electric transmission system that adversely affects the reliability of transmission service provided to electric customers in this state and shall, no later than September 1, 1998, submit a report on the results of the study to the legislature in the manner provided under
s. 13.172 (2).
196.494(3)
(3) The commission shall, under this subsection, issue an order requiring the transmission company, as defined in
s. 196.485 (1) (ge), or an electric utility to construct or procure, on a competitive basis, the construction of transmission facilities specified by the commission in its order if the commission determines that such construction is necessary to relieve a constraint on a transmission system and the construction will materially benefit the customers of the transmission company or electric utility or other electric utilities or of an independent system operator, as defined in
s. 196.485 (1) (d), or independent transmission owner, as defined in
s. 196.485 (1) (dm).
196.494(4)
(4) The commission shall allow an electric utility to recover in its retail electric rates any costs that are prudently incurred by the utility in complying with an order under
sub. (3).
196.494(5)
(5) The governor may, on behalf of this state, enter into an interstate compact that establishes a joint process for the states in the upper midwest region of the United States to determine the need for and siting of regional electric transmission facilities that may affect electric service in this state. The governor may not enter into a compact under this subsection unless the compact includes requirements and procedures for establishing each of the following:
196.494(5)(a)
(a) Compliance with each state's environmental and siting standards for transmission facilities.
196.494(5)(b)
(b) A regional need determination for transmission facilities.
196.494(5)(c)
(c) A mechanism for resolving conflicts between the states regarding the siting of transmission facilities.
196.494 History
History: 1997 a. 204;
1999 a. 9.
196.495
196.495
Avoidance of duplication in electric facilities. 196.495(1)(a)1.
1. "Primary voltage extension" means an extension of 500 feet or more.
