More than half of all Americans now live in states that allow electric customers to choose their electricity suppliers in the competitive market instead of purchasing power from a utility (often known as “retail choice” or “direct access”), and seven states have community choice aggregation (“CCA”) programs that allow local governments and/or special districts to pool (or aggregate) their electricity load in order to purchase and/or develop power on behalf of their residents, businesses, and municipal accounts, rather than purchase electricity from a utility. Both retail choice and CCA programs allow power providers to tailor power supply to the needs of their customers, such as providing 100 percent renewable energy or structuring the price at a fixed rate that will not fluctuate over time. Retail choice and CCA markets also generally sell power at a price below that of the incumbent utility
Blue Planet Energy Law can advise you on all commercial, regulatory and compliance aspects related to these programs, including
- Qualifying as a retail power/direct access provider in various jurisdictions.
- Establishing a community choice aggregation program.
- Acquiring power and/or power generation assets for sales to customers.
- Negotiating power purchase and sale agreements.
- Advising on power transmission issues.
- Meeting regulatory requirements.
