HB259

What it does

• Requires utilities to create a contract lasting at least 12 years with any customer operating a large energy use facility, which may include an optional initial ramp-up period of up to five additional years.
• Mandates that the large facility pays directly for infrastructure and variable costs, such as new fuel contracts or changes in purchased power amounts needed just for them.
• Prohibits utilities from including these specific costs in rates charged to other customers unless those costs are recovered solely from the large facility.
• Requires a community benefit agreement between the local municipality and the facility before the utility contract is approved by the commission.
• Allows facilities to pay less during an initial ramp-up period but requires them to cover at least 80 percent of their contracted amount each year afterward.