Basin Electric Power Cooperative (“Basin Electric”) and its Member-owners joining in this petition are Agralite Electric Cooperative, Big Flat Electric Co-op., Inc., Black Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc., Bon Homme Yankton Electric Association, Inc., Burke-Divide Electric Cooperative, Inc., Butte Electric Cooperative, Inc., Cam Wal Electric Cooperative, Inc., Capital Electric Cooperative, Inc., Central Electric Cooperative, Inc., Central Montana Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., Central Power Electric Cooperative, Inc., Charles Mix Electric Association, Inc., Cherry-Todd Electric Cooperative, Inc., City of Elk Point, Clay-Union Electric Corporation, Codington-Clark Electric Cooperative, Inc., Crow Wing Cooperative Power and Light Company, Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc., Douglas Electric Cooperative, Inc., East River Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., FEM Electric Association, Inc., Fergus Electric Cooperative, Inc., Goldenwest Electric Coop, Inc., Grand Electric Cooperative, Inc., H-D Electric Cooperative, Inc., Hill County Electric Cooperative, Inc., KEM Electric Cooperative, Inc., Kingsbury Electric Cooperative, Inc., L & O Power Cooperative, Lacreek Electric Association, Inc., Lake Region Electric Association, Inc., Lower Yellowstone Rural Electric Cooperative, Lyon Rural Electric Cooperative, Lyon-Lincoln Electric Cooperative, Inc., Marias River Electric Cooperative, Inc., McCone Electric Co-op., Inc., McKenzie Electric Cooperative, Inc., McLean Electric Cooperative, Inc., Mid-Yellowstone Electric Cooperative, Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light & Power Association, Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative, Inc., Moreau-Grand Electric Cooperative, Inc., Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative, North Central Electric Cooperative, Inc., Northern Electric Cooperative, Inc., Northern Plains Electric Cooperative, Inc., NorVal Electric Cooperative, Inc., Oahe Electric Cooperative, Inc., Osceola Electric Cooperative, Inc., Park Electric Cooperative, Inc., Powder River Energy Corporation, Redwood Electric Cooperative, Renville-Sibley Co-op Power Association, Rosebud Electric Cooperative, Inc., Roughrider Electric Cooperative, Inc., Rushmore Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., Sheridan Electric Co-op., Inc., Sioux Valley-Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc., Slope Electric Cooperative, Inc., South Central Electric Association, Southeast Electric Cooperative, Inc., Southeastern Electric Cooperative, Inc., Sun River Electric Cooperative, Inc., Tongue River Electric Cooperative, Inc., Traverse Electric Cooperative, Inc., Union County Electric Cooperative, Inc., Upper Missouri G & T Electric Cooperative, Inc., Verendrye Electric Cooperative, West Central Electric Cooperative, Inc., West River Electric Association, Inc., Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. hereby give notice of their proposed Joint PURPA Implementation Plan (“Implementation Plan”) to implement jointly their obligations under Section 210 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (“PURPA”) and under Part 292 of the Regulations of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”).  Section 210 was enacted to encourage production of electric energy by qualifying cogeneration and small power production facilities (“QFs”).  Basin Electric and the Participating Members further give notice that on or after January 1, 2017, they will file with FERC a joint petition for waiver of certain obligations under Section 292.303 of the FERC’s Regulations.
Part 292 of FERC’s Regulations sets forth the requirements regarding arrangements between electric utilities and QFs. Part 292 requires electric utilities to purchase and sell energy and capacity from and to QFs. Under the proposed Implementation Plan (and subject to terms and conditions imposed pursuant thereto), Basin Electric and the Participating Members would agree to (1) permit any QF to interconnect with the transmission or distribution system of any Participating Member to the extent such QF is entitled to interconnection under Part 292; (2) permit any QF with a capacity of 150 kW or more to sell energy and capacity to Basin Electric at rates that comply with Part 292 to the extent that (a) a Participating Member would otherwise be required to purchase from such QF and (b) the QF delivers power to the Participating Member’s system at a point where the Participating Member provides retail service with energy purchased from Basin Electric; and (3) permit any QF, regardless of capacity, to purchase supplementary, backup, maintenance and interruptible power on either a firm or nonfirm basis from a Participating Member at rates that comply with Part 292.  The proposed Implementation Plan may be modified based on public comments, FERC’s response to the petition for waiver described below, or otherwise as appropriate.
The proposed Implementation Plan is available for review by interested parties at the offices of Basin Electric. Copies will be sent to interested parties upon request.  Written comments on the proposed Implementation Plan must be submitted on or before December 2, 2016, to Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Attention: Dave Raatz, Vice President Cooperative Planning, 1717 E. Interstate Ave., Bismarck, ND 58503 or by emailing purpa@bepc.com.  Copies of written comments will be made available to interested parties.  In addition, any interested party may request a public hearing on the proposed Implementation Plan by submitting a written request to the above address no later than December 2, 2016.  If timely and properly requested, one or more hearings on the Implementation Plan will take place prior to the FERC filing referenced below.  Details regarding the date, time and location of any such hearing(s) will be sent to each person requesting a hearing.  A representative of Basin Electric and the Participating Members will be present at the hearing(s).
In connection with the proposed Implementation Plan, and pursuant to Section 292.402 of FERC’s Regulations, on or after January 1, 2017, Basin Electric, on behalf of itself and the Participating Members, intends to apply for a waiver of certain obligations under Section 292.303 of FERC’s Regulations which, if granted, would result in all purchases from QFs being made by Basin Electric and all sales to QFs interconnected with the Participating Members being made by the Participating Members. More information on the waiver request is provided in the Implementation Plan. Persons wishing to comment on the waiver request should follow the procedures for written and oral comments on the Joint PURPA Implementation Plan.