Delaware Code Title 26 Sec. 203B – Service territories for electric utilities
(a) Subject to the provisions of § 202 of this title, the Commission shall, upon notice and after hearing, establish boundaries throughout the State within which public utilities providing retail electric service shall have the obligation and authority to provide retail electric service. All certificates of public convenience and necessity granted by the Commission shall be issued or amended to reflect such boundaries. Upon establishment, reestablishment or adjustment of any such boundaries the Commission shall cause maps to be issued designating and certifying the territorial boundaries within which such public utilities shall be authorized and obligated to provide service. In acting hereunder, except with respect to customers residing within the boundaries of a municipality which owns an electric utility or a municipal electric company formed pursuant to Chapter 13 of Title 22 and who, as of July 2, 1992, are served by another public utility, the Commission shall not authorize or obligate any public utility to provide retail electric service to any customer within the boundaries of a municipality which owns an electric utility or municipal electric company formed pursuant to Chapter 13 of Title 22 without its consent. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection or subsection (d) of this section, if such a municipality shall annex adjacent or adjoining territory, any retail electric customer of another public utility within such territory may be acquired by such municipality pursuant to Chapter 61 of Title 10. Nothing contained herein shall invalidate or otherwise affect any contract entered into on or before June 30, 1992, between any municipality and a public utility relating to the acquisition of retail electric customers within the boundaries of the municipality listing as of such date. In the event a municipality which owns an electric utility or a municipal electric company formed pursuant to Chapter 13 of Title 22 shall annex adjacent or adjoining territory whether or not such territory contains retail electric customers, upon notice to the Commission by such municipality, the Commission shall issue or revise maps previously issued to reflect such acquisition.
Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 26 Sec. 203B
- Commission: means the Public Service Commission. See Delaware Code Title 26 Sec. 102
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Public utility: includes every individual, partnership, association, corporation, joint stock company, agency or department of the State or any association of individuals engaged in the prosecution in common of a productive enterprise (commonly called a "cooperative"), their lessees, trustees or receivers appointed by any court whatsoever, that now operates or hereafter may operate for public use within this State, (however, electric cooperatives shall not be permitted directly or through an affiliate to engage in the production, sale or distribution of propane gas or heating oil), any natural gas, electric (excluding electric suppliers as defined in § 1001 of this title), electric transmission by other than a public utility over which the Commission has no supervisory or regulatory jurisdiction pursuant to § 202(a) or (g) of this title, water, wastewater (which shall include sanitary sewer charge), telecommunications (excluding telephone services provided by cellular technology or by domestic public land mobile radio service) service, system, plant or equipment. See Delaware Code Title 26 Sec. 102
- State: means the State of Delaware; and when applied to different parts of the United States, it includes the District of Columbia and the several territories and possessions of the United States. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
(b) In acting under this section, the Commission shall consider and account for as the primary factor, currently existing territories within which utility electric customers are being served at retail including the boundaries of municipalities which serve such customers. In acting further under this section, the Commission shall consider among other pertinent factors, which of 2 or more public utilities:
(1) Had distribution facilities in nearest proximity to a designated area as of July 1, 1992;
(2) Was the first to furnish retail service to, or in close proximity to, a designated area;
(3) Can install and/or upgrade its facilities to furnish service to a designated area with the smaller amount of additional investment; and
(4) Is demonstrably capable of providing adequate and reliable service to a designated area within a reasonable period of time and in a feasible manner.
In connection with any proceedings undertaken by the Commission pursuant to subsection (a) of this section and this subsection the Commission shall approve and implement agreements between 2 or more public utilities if such agreements are consistent with the public interest.
(c) In acting under subsection (b) of this section, the Commission shall give no consideration to the location or existence of transmission facilities.
(d) In establishing service territory boundaries under this section, the Commission shall provide that any customer which, as of the date such boundaries are set, was receiving retail electric service from a public utility other than the public utility within whose service territory such customer is located, shall continue to receive such service from the same public utility unless both public utilities agree that service shall be provided by the public utility to whom that service territory has been allocated; and further provided that the Commission may prohibit such a change whenever it determines, after notice and hearing, that such change will not be in the public interest.
(e) If the Commission, after notice and hearing, shall determine that service being furnished or proposed to be furnished by a public utility subject to its jurisdiction to a customer or prospective customer within its service territory is substantially inadequate and is not likely to be made adequate, or otherwise exceeds the capacity of that public utility to provide adequate service within a reasonable time, the Commission may authorize another public utility to provide service to such customer.
(f) After the establishment of retail electric service territories under this section, 2 or more public utilities subject to Commission jurisdiction may from time to time hereafter apply to the Commission for adjustment of their adjoining retail electric service territories, and, if the Commission determines, after notice and hearing, that such adjustment is in the public interest, it shall approve such adjustment and, to the extent required, cause revised maps to reflect such adjustment to be prepared.
(g) The exclusive retail electric service territories heretofore established by the Commission pursuant to this section shall continue as exclusive service territories for the transmission and distribution of electricity. Except as otherwise provided herein, each electric distribution company shall have the exclusive right to furnish transmission and distribution services to all electricity-consuming facilities located within its service territory and shall not furnish, make available, render or extend its transmission and distribution services to a consumer located within the service territory of another electric distribution company; provided that any electric distribution company may extend or construct its facilities in or through the service territory of another electric distribution company, if such extension or construction is necessary for such company to connect any of its facilities or to serve its customers within its own service territory. As of the implementation dates as set forth in § 1003(b)(1) and (2) of this title [repealed], there shall be no exclusive service territories for the supply of electricity, except as otherwise herein provided.
(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title:
(1) A retail electric customer has the right to lease or own (satisfied by partial ownership) facilities on its own property to transmit or distribute electricity to itself.
(2) Where retail electric customer-owned transmission and/or distribution facilities that, at any time prior to February 1, 1999, were located on property owned by such customer, and were used to transmit or distribute electricity to buildings, facilities or equipment on such property, and that retail electric customer sold or leased a portion of such property and/or buildings, facilities or equipment thereon to third parties, then that customer shall have the right to continue to own such facilities and to transmit or distribute electricity to both itself and to any such third parties, with separate metering for each third party. Furthermore, if such customer desires to expand such facilities to serve additional buildings, facilities or equipment or additions thereto on such property used by such third party, then that customer and the electric distribution company shall jointly determine the terms and conditions of the ownership, installation, operation and maintenance of the expanded facilities. Any disagreement in this regard shall be presented to the Commission for resolution. If the customer utilizes its own facilities to transmit or deliver electricity to any such third party, the customer shall not charge the third party any amount that exceeds its actual costs of providing such services.
(3) Any person shall have the right to lease or own transmission and/or distribution facilities to transmit or deliver electricity from an electric generation facility, which qualifies under the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act of 1978 [P.L. 95-617] or its successor, to its host customer on the same or on any immediately adjacent property. Should such person desire to have electricity transmitted or delivered to not more than 5 other nearby customers who are new customers or who have been receiving electricity through the then-existing facilities of an electric distribution company, such person must first contact the electric distribution company to jointly determine how such service shall be provided. Should agreement not be jointly reached, the matter shall be presented to Commission for resolution. The options that may be considered include the following:
a. The electric distribution company may continue to provide such service over its then-existing facilities at Commission-approved rates; or
b. New facilities may be installed by the electric distribution company to provide such service, in which case the customers shall reimburse the electric distribution company for the depreciated book value, plus removal costs less salvage value, of any then-existing facilities that will no longer be used by the electric distribution company. In this case, the regular Commission-approved rates shall not be applicable for such new facilities. Instead, a separate facilities charge rate will be developed and billed monthly to such customers, based upon the actual installed cost of such new facilities, including normal levels of operating expenses, taxes and return.
(i) For purposes of this section only, effective on the implementation dates set forth in § 1003(b)(1) and (2) of this title [repealed], the term “retail electric service” shall be construed to be synonymous with the term “electric transmission and distribution” and shall not include the generation, supply or sale of electricity itself.
66 Del. Laws, c. 50, § ?1; 68 Del. Laws, c. 299, § ?4; 72 Del. Laws, c. 10, § ?10;