08/08: The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) approved this week Southwestern Public Service Company’s (SPS) request to increase its revenues up to 4.13 percent or about $10.8 million. SPS had originally requested an increase of about $16 million or 6.34 percent. This increase is part of a proposed comprehensive redesign of rates intended to simplify SPS’s current rate structure as well as to promote conservation.
Source: New Mexico Public Regulation Commission
http://www.nmprc.state.nm.us/

04/08: The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) approved a 6.4 percent, or an estimated $33 million, rate adjustment for Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM). PNM had originally favored a 14.7 percent, or between $77 million and $82 million, in its request to the NMPRC.
Source: New Mexico Public Regulation Commission
http://www.nmprc.state.nm.us/

04/03: Governor Bill Richardson signed Senate Bill 718 (SB 718) which repealed the Electric Utility Industry Restructuring Act of 1999. The legislation was scheduled to go into effect on July 2003 and could allow utilities to recover transition cost that were incurred during the restructuring process.
Source: New Mexico Legislature
http://legis.state.nm.us/Sessions/03%20Regular/FinalVersions/senate/SB0718.pdf

10/02: Public Service of New Mexico (PSNM) submitted a stipulated agreement to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC). The agreement proposed a means to lower rates by 6.5 percent, repeal Senate Bill 428, the Electric Utility Restructuring Act of 1999, increase electric generation in the state, and allow PNM to offer green power to its customers. Starting September 1, 2003, rates were scheduled to be cut by 4 percent, and another 2.5 percent by September 1, 2005.

05/01: Legislation, Senate Bill 266, was enacted and delays opening the retail electricity market to competition. Customer choice for residential customers, originally scheduled for 2002, was delayed until January 2007 and for nonresidential customers until July 2008. Other measures of the law would delay Public Service of New Mexico's unbundling of its distribution from its generation and marketing businesses and would allow the utility to proceed with plans to build new generation and form a holding company.

09/00: The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) issued its final order on rehearing case no. 3109. The order answers the question, "whether cost (was) a factor in determining whether to require the inclusion of a renewable resource in standard offer service." The PRC decided to include the cost as a factor, but capped the increase to standard offer service as a result of encouraging renewables at one tenth of a cent per kWh. Green power was proposed to be offered as an option.

08/00: New Mexico's Attorney General, the New Mexico Industrial Energy Consumers, and the New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association asked the PRC to postpone a decision to authorize the state's IOUs to unbundle their operations. The groups were concerned about price spikes and supply problems in California at the time and felt that delaying the decision would allow them to revisit restructuring issues before the state legislature convened in January 2001.

06/00: El Paso Electric filed its transition plan with the PRC, as required by June 1, 2000, under the New Mexico restructuring law. The filing detailed EPE's operational plans for the restructured industry when customer choice would be implemented (January 2002 for schools and businesses, and July 2002 for residential customers). The plan included estimates of transition costs, $18.2 million out of $99 million in stranded costs.

05/00: The PSNM ruled that the schools', small businesses', and residential consumers' retail access date should be delayed one year to January 1, 2002. The delay provided utilities additional time to prepare their customer information and billing systems to accommodate customer choice. Legislation passed in April 1999 would allow direct access to be phased-in over the next 3 to 4 years.

05/00: The PRC issued code of conduct rules for public utilities and their affiliates offering retail electric services in New Mexico.

04/00: New Mexico IOUs requested the PRC delay the beginning of competition for a year, claiming they were unprepared to implement new billing and computer systems.

09/99: The Public Service Company of New Mexico reached an agreement with the PRC to reduce its rates by over $34 million, a 6.7-percent decrease. The new rates were scheduled to remain in effect until competition begins or until January 1, 2003, whichever came first.

04/99: The Electric Utility Restructuring Act of 1999, Senate Bill 428, was enacted on April 8, 1999. The law would open the state's electric power market to consumer choice beginning in 2001, when residential and small consumers were scheduled to have retail access. All other consumers were scheduled to have retail access by January 2002. The law split the responsibility for stranded costs between consumers and stockholders, allowing utilities to recover at least 50 percent of stranded costs through charges to consumers over a five year period.

03/99: The State Supreme Court ruled that the New Mexico Public Utilities Commission exceeded its authority when it ordered the Public Service of New Mexico to open its power lines to a competitor. The competitor plans to ask the court to address the matter again.

09/98: The Public Service of New Mexico, under order of the New Mexico Public Utilities Commission at the time, would conduct a pilot program with its Albuquerque customers. About 16 MW of PSNM’s load would open to competition in December 1998. PSMN opposed the order.

02/98: New Mexico PRC submitted legislative language to the legislature and Governor that would give PUC authority to resolve deregulation issues. At the time, the PUC was pushing for retail competition.

01/98: The PUC issued its restructuring report to the legislature. The report called for full retail competition by January 2001 and for legislative adoption of rules by July 1999. The report also stated that $60 million/year could be saved.

09/97: Public Service of New Mexico submitted a restructuring plan to the PUC. The plan proposed open access for all consumers by January 2001, unbundling of services, and recovery of stranded costs using nonbypassable wires charges, exit fees, and securitization.

03/97: The PUC approved Texas-N.M. Power’s “Community Choice” plan to introduce customer choice by 1998 through a pilot program. The program was scheduled to begin in May 1998.