04/05: The Louisiana Public Service Commission recommended that all industrial customers with loads greater than five megawatts be given the choice to select their power provider.
Source: Louisiana Public Service Commission
http://www.lpsc.org/default.asp

04/02: The Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) issued a restructuring collaborative procedural schedule. The study groups had to submit their final information to the commission no later than October 31, 2002 because the commission planned to release its monitoring report on November 30, 2002. The report would address transition cost estimates, the definition of a large industrial customer, methods to encourage construction of capacity, and affiliate rules.

12/01: The Louisiana Public Service Commission issued two orders in regards to analysis of competitive implications. The first order dealt with cogeneration and plant construction. The second order declined to implement retail access and the recommendations of the Staff’s report. The PSC would continue to study restructuring and retail access as well as monitor its neighbors and federal restructuring legislation.

07/01: The staff of the Louisiana PSC issued its final report, Final Response of the Commission Staff to Comments on Proposed Competitive Transition Plan, to the PSC. The report recommended some changes to the transition plan issued in January including allowing open access to competitive service providers to only large industrial customers with loads averaging 5 MW or more rather than the original 2 MW load. Even though the PSC ruled two years ago that open access was not in the State's best interest, a study of the issue continued due to concerns about economic development. The report recommends another study due in 2005 to determine if competition would benefit all classes of customers. However, the PSC did not take any action on this latest report at their most recent meeting, but may take it up in its September meeting.

01/01: The PSC issued a draft restructuring plan that would allow large industrial customers retail choice starting in January 2003. Utilities would not be required to divest their generation assets needed to serve their customer demands.

05/99: The PSC staff presented a report on restructuring recommending a slow approach. The report raised skepticism on the benefits to residential consumers, citing California's retail market where they said too few electricity suppliers existed to have true competition. The report stated that Louisiana had lower than average electric rates, and competition could increase prices, not lower them. The report recommended no action toward retail competition be taken at that time, but "reluctantly" submitted a draft restructuring plan in case the PSC decided to go ahead. In Louisiana, the PSC could have ordered retail competition without legislative action.

04/99: The PSC issued an order setting up a schedule through August 2000 to study the issues: consumer education; stranded costs; regional planning and reliability; market power; rate unbundling; functional unbundling; independent system operators; and transition mechanisms.

03/99: The PSC issued an order stating that Commission "defers making a public interest determination until such time that a Louisiana-specific transition to competition plan has been fully developed. The Staff, outside consultants and counsel are directed to recommend a plan for implementation of retail electric generation competition for consideration by the Commission on or before January 1, 2001."

02/99: A draft report issued by the PSC advised not to go ahead with deregulation due to concerns that residential consumers could experience higher prices. The report also said that, however, if deregulation does go forward, it should allow large industrials to shop for power while limiting rates for small consumers. Louisiana consumers enjoyed rates that were less than the national average.

01/99: Entergy Gulf States and Entergy Louisiana submitted restructuring proposals to the PSC. The PSC Chairman expected the PSC to rule that restructuring was in the best interest of the State, but expected Louisiana to take a slow approach to retail access.

08/98: The PSC conducted hearings on stranded costs. Participants included Central Louisiana Electric Company, Enron, and Gulf State Utilities.

03/98: The PSC committee and the legislative committee met on March 16, 1998 to discuss the tax implications of deregulation.

12/97: The PSC voted to accept a staff report recommending further study on issues surrounding electricity restructuring. The PSC was scheduled to develop draft legislation for the 1999 session.

06/97: Resolution 150 created a study committee on electric power restructuring with reports on various issues due in 1998.

05/95: The PSC opened Docket U-21453 on whether electric industry restructuring was in the public interest.