Gpsc

The Georgia Public Service Commission (GPSC) approved the transfer of more than 7,400 natural gas customers of Reliant Energy to The New Power Company effective May 1 as Reliant will no longer provide residential and commercial natural gas services in Georgia. The commission approved the transfer with several conditions. Firstly, customers are free to change to another marketer and will not be charged a switch fee nor would their “free switch” be affected. Secondly, New Power must honor all of Reliant’s existing contracts and must notify all customers of their transfer by letter. Finally, the letter must tell customers they are under no obligation to stay with New Power unless they are currently under a contractual agreement with Reliant. California power marketer/generators blasted the state transmission grid operator’s (Cal-ISO’s) federally filed market stabilization plan as potentially being “extremely detrimental” to the state’s struggling electricity markets and urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject it. The plan promises to cause “more blackouts in the West, chase away much-needed new generation, and jack up wholesale power costs,” according to the Western Power Trading Forum, a trade and lobbying group for marketers, scheduling coordinators, power exchanges and generators. The Cal-ISO proposal includes price caps and restrictions on selling California-generated power out of state. “It is yet another attempt to heap more rules on an already overruled market,” said Gary Ackerman, executive director of the trading forum.