Alabama § 11-50A-25 - Public Service Commission Review and Regulation.

§ 11-50A-25. Public Service Commission Review and Regulation.

The authority shall be subject to the provisions of Title 37 to the extent set out herein. The public service commission shall review all bond resolutions, power sales contracts and other agreements entered into by the authority and and municipality and any investor-owned utility presently regulated by the public service commission that may affect the rates of the authority in order to determine if the rates to be charged by the authority pursuant to such resolutions, contracts and other agreements are reasonable and in the public interest; such bond resolutions and contracts shall not be effective if the rates to be charged by the authority as provided therein are disapproved by the public service commission within 30 days after submission of such resolutions, contracts and other agreements by the authority to the commission. In determining whether to approve any rates to be charged by the authority pursuant to such bond resolutions, contracts, or other agreements, the public service commission shall consider the purpose for which the authority is established, the provisions of Section 11-50A-18 and the need to: (i) encourage conservation of energy supplied by the authority, (ii) encourage the optimization of the efficiency of use of facilities and resources; and (iii) promote equitable rates to electric consumers. The public service commission shall approve accounting regulations for the authority, which regulations shall be consistent with the accounting regulations established generally in other states for entities similar to the authority, taking into account the provisions of this chapter with respect to the payment of all costs associated with the production of electricity by the authority and the payment of any securities issued by it to finance facilities to be owned by the authority.

The public service commission shall prescribe minimum standards regarding the placement and construction of transmission lines, substations and related facilities used in the transmission of electricity that are owned and operated by the authority.

No plant, property or facility for the production, transmission, delivery or furnishing of electricity shall be constructed by the authority if such facility is to be owned exclusively by the authority until the issuance by the public service commission of a certificate of convenience and necessity pursuant to Section 37-4-28.