Post # 56: Xcel's SmartGridCity -- Moving Right Along?

My most recent post on Xcel’s SmartGridCity project in Boulder was last fall. At that time, Colorado’s Office of Consumer Counsel (and other parties) appealed a decision of a Colorado Public Utilities Commission administrative judge that would have allowed Xcel to recoup approximately $45 million in installation costs from retail ratepayers – about three times the company's original estimate. See Post No. 50.

The CPUC acted on the appeal a little over two weeks ago – but, interestingly, not in writing. The Denver Post, which apparently was the only publication presented present, reported that, at a January 5, 2011 meeting, the CPUC “sliced by 38 percent the $13 million a year the utility is charging customers for the Boulder-based pilot program.”

Because I don’t like to post about agency decisions I have not read – and because the CPUC normally issues written decisions within a week or so of its meetings – I held off posting. And I assumed the written decision would be available within a few days.

Well, I was wrong. As of today, the CPUC still not issued its decision, which is pretty unusual based on my understanding of its procedures. I don’t want to speculate on the reasons, and I will hold to my policy of not writing about orders that I haven’t read. But I figure at this point I should at least post a link to the Denver Post article, just to be current.

Perhaps some policy pronouncement is on the way. Anyway, presumably we will see something soon.