Information for CCAs

Learn More about Community Choice Aggregation

Overview

If you are a city, county, or Joint Powers Authority (JPA) planning to participate in CCA Service, you should first develop an understanding of the California electric market restructuring process and protocols. We recommend that entities interested in providing CCA Service review the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) website for further information on CCA, including:

Register and File Implementation Plan with California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

Are you an eligible entity planning to participate in the CCA service? The process outlined below is the CPUC-approved process to submit a notification of intent to become a CCA. The steps are further described on the CPUC website.

  • Develop an Implementation Plan
  • Prepare a Statement of Intent
  • Register and file an Implementation Plan with the CPUC
  • Provide financial security to SCE
  • Secure a certified Scheduling Coordinator
  • Ensure resource adequacy

SCE’s Role in Community Choice Aggregation

SCE’s Role in Generation

SCE has no role in generation for CCA customers. The generation is solely provided by the CCA.

 

SCE’s Role in Transmission

California’s Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs), including SCE, continue to own and maintain their transmission facilities (the highest voltage lines), but have turned operational control of these facilities over to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) per AB1890, which restructured the electric utility industry in California. The CAISO operates the overall transmission system to ensure that all generation suppliers have equal opportunity to send their electricity through the transmission system to consumers, and to maintain the balance between the supply and demand for electricity. The CAISO also assumes responsibility for the safety and reliability of the transmission system.

SCE’s Role in Distribution

SCE continues to own and operate the regulated distribution lines in its franchise territory and is responsible for the reliable and safe delivery of electricity to end-use customers.

CCA’s Role in Community Choice Aggregation

Under CCA Service, the CCA is responsible for procuring the generation portion of its customers’ electricity service (including ancillary services). The CCA is responsible for ensuring that the power needs of CCA Service customers are scheduled and settled with the CAISO. Additionally, CCAs are responsible for customer communications and customer inquiries regarding, and the management and oversight of, their own CCA Service programs.

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Customer-specific information is confidential and can only be provided to a CCA after SCE has received a signed Community Choice Aggregator Non-Disclosure Agreement (Form 14-769) and a signed Community Choice Aggregation Declaration (Form 14-770) A CCA must have an Implementation Plan on file with the CPUC prior to the release by SCE of residential customer-specific information.

A CCA can also request non-confidential information subject to the 15/15 Rule adopted by the Commission as part of the Direct Access (DA) Proceeding on the protection of customer confidentiality. As explained in Schedule CCA-INFO: Community Choice Aggregation – Information Fees, the 15/15 Rule requires that any aggregated customer information provided by SCE be made up of at least 15 customers and a single customer’s load must be less than 15% of an assigned category. If the number of customers contained within the compiled data is below 15, or if a single customer’s load is equal to or greater than 15% of the total data, categories must be combined before the information is released. The Rule further requires that if the 15/15 Rule is triggered for a second time after the data has been screened once already using the 15/15 Rule, the customer will be excluded from the information being provided.

For additional detail on information provided at no charge vs. for a fee, please reference Schedule CCA-INFO Community Choice Aggregation – Information Fees.

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All residential customers located within a CCA service area must be offered CCA service. A CCA may also elect to serve non-residential customers within its CCA jurisdiction. 

The CCA program operates on an “opt-out” basis. All customers within the CCA’s jurisdiction (including Direct Access customers) are automatically enrolled into the CCA program unless they submit an opt-out request.

Any customer that is not interconnected with the rest of the system may encounter CCA participation limitations. For example, at this time SCE is not aware of any proposal from any CCA to arrange for the delivery of energy to customers on Santa Catalina Island. 

For any accounts established to bill only non-energy service, such as Added Facilities and Other Operating Revenue, participation in CCA Service may not be feasible.

  • Added Facilities occur when an applicant requests, and SCE agrees, to install facilities which are in addition to, or in substitution for the standard facilities SCE would normally install. The costs associated with Added Facilities are the responsibility of the applicant.
  • Other Operating Revenue (OOR) is revenue generated from non-energy service provided by SCE.

SCE and the CCA will work together to reach agreement on a mutually acceptable implementation plan and schedule. A CCA has the legal authority under AB 117 to offer CCA Service to some eligible customers before others; this may include incrementally enrolling customers in the program. This incremental enrollment process is referred to as phase-in.

A CCA may propose its own phase-in plan to SCE. To assist CCAs with this effort and to minimize the phase-in costs, SCE has developed an optional Standard Phase-In Service. The Standard Phase-In Service includes the following options:

  • Phase-in by customer class, or
  • Phase-in by rate class, or
  • Phase-in by incorporated city, or
  • Phase-in by county.