PUC votes unanimously to ease restrictions on confidentiality

Friday, Sept. 13, 2002 | 11 a.m.

When major companies decide to shop around for an electricity provider other than the two Nevada companies, they can no longer keep confidential the name of their proposed new provider.

The Public Utilities Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a regulation easing that and other confidentiality restrictions for such applications.

The Legislature last year opted not to deregulate the power industry but instead passed Assembly Bill 661, allowing large power users, such as mines, casinos and shopping centers, to buy electricity from companies other than Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power.

Residential power users do not have that option.

Because of Thursday's ruling by the state regulatory body, big companies can no longer file the names of their new provider in documents that previously were deemed confidential by the PUC.

However, the prices the companies will pay to their proposed new provider will remain confidential to prevent competitors from undercutting each other. Major power users have 20 days after filing such applications to notify Nevada electricity providers of their intent to go elsewhere for power.

"The regulations adopted today mean that the public will have additional access to information filed in exit applications," PUC Chairman Don Soderberg said. "It opens the door to the regulatory process a bit more and enables more people to understand what we do in the execution of our duties."

An "exit" application is a term used by the PUC for big users of electricity seeking to switch -- or exit -- from the state's power companies.

To date several companies have had exit applications approved and are not subject to Thursday's action, PUC officials said.