Energy (Energy Resilience)

SB 477 sets a 10% annual cap on the portion of an electric utility's weather-adjusted retail sales that can be served by alternative energy suppliers, directly affecting Michigan utilities and their customers seeking to switch providers. The bill includes key exceptions: facilities already using alternative suppliers since 2008 (including expansions), iron ore mines/processing facilities in the Upper Peninsula under specific settlement agreements, and customers on a pre-2016 enrollment queue. It requires utilities to maintain a confidential queue for new customers and adjust the cap downward if usage remains below 10% for five years. The law aims to balance customer choice with grid stability for Michigan's electric utilities.

HB 4283 amends Michigan's Clean and Renewable Energy Act to allow electricity generated from Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine (RICE) generators to count toward meeting the state's renewable energy portfolio standards. This change directly affects electric providers, including cooperatives and multistate utilities, that must meet specific renewable energy targets. The bill adds a new provision specifying that RICE-generated electricity can be used as renewable energy credits toward compliance. This provides electric providers with an additional compliance option for meeting the state's renewable energy requirements.