Rhode Island General Laws 39-3-1.1. Purchasing cooperatives
Purchasing cooperatives may at any time be organized consisting of any group of electricity consumers for the purpose of negotiating for electric power from nonregulated power producers. The purchasing cooperatives shall be considered to be associations of electricity consumers organized solely for the purpose of negotiating the purchase of electric power by members of the cooperative. Purchasing cooperatives are specifically not required to be legal entities and are hereby prohibited from engaging in resale of electric power. Electricity consumers will maintain individual accounts with the nonregulated power producer with which a contract is concluded. Electricity consumers may withdraw from a purchasing cooperative at any time by providing thirty (30) days’ notice to the cooperative and to nonregulated power producers with which a purchasing cooperative has reached an agreement. Nothing in this section shall prevent a cooperative from becoming a legal entity or utilizing a legal entity to negotiate for rates for the purchasing cooperative.
History of Section.
P.L. 1996, ch. 316, § 1; P.L. 1997, ch. 326, § 106.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 39-3-1.1
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Nonregulated power producer: means a company engaging in the business of producing, manufacturing, generating, buying, aggregating, marketing, or brokering electricity for sale at wholesale or for retail sale to the public; provided however, that companies that negotiate the purchase of electric generation services on behalf of customers and do not engage in the purchase and resale of electric generation services shall be excluded from this definition. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-1-2
- Purchasing cooperatives: shall mean any association of electricity consumers that join for the purpose of negotiating the purchase of power from a nonregulated power producer, provided however, that purchasing cooperatives shall not be required to be legal entities and are prohibited from being engaged in the re-sale of electric power. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-1-2