Dec. 04--Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois can avoid legislative oversight until 2019 and continue to spend ratepayer money on building a digital "smart grid" as a result of Illinois Senate action Thursday.
The Senate voted 40-4 with two abstentions to approve a measure that would extend by two years the date utilities must inform the legislature of their progress on the program. The measure cleared the House last month.
The legislative approval is significant because the 2011 law that allowed the utilities to begin the smart grid project required them to report on their progress on installing smart meters and meeting other goals before being allowed to move forward.
For ComEd, the extension means it won't have to check in with legislators until after nearly all the money has been spent. As part of a law passed in 2011, ComEd pledged to digitize the electrical grid in exchange for $2.6 billion in consumer rate increases over 10 years.
A spokesman for Gov. Pat Quinn said the governor would review the measure.
The Citizens Utility Board, a Chicago-based consumer advocacy group, had urged legislators to postpone action on the measure until ComEd had more information to provide.
About $784 million has been spent so far on the ComEd program, according to its filings with regulators.
ComEd plans to be finished with the smart grid investments in 2018, according to its filings.
While ComEd has provided some grid upgrade information to regulators, little is known about how one of the key components of the program -- the rollout of digital smart meters for the utility's 3.8 million customers -- is faring for consumers and businesses.
Smart meters were a key selling point of the grid modernization. The utility said the meters as well as savings from operations would reduce electric bills for ratepayers and give them more control over their electricity use.
ComEd said that information will be filed with state regulators in 2015, once it has a "full year of smart meter data."
The project was delayed because ComEd battled with regulators over how it should be paid for the program. That, in turn, delayed the smart meter rollout.
jwernau@tribpub.com
Twitter @littlewern
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