Stung by their sudden defeat at the Arizona Corporation Commission, proponents of electricity deregulation have gone back to the drawing board to map out their next move.

Experts say Corp. Comm. needs to dig deeper into cybersecurity threats

Hollywood might make them look easy, or give a false impression about how frequently they happen. But malicious cybersecurity threats to utilities are real, and the Arizona Corporation Commission should adapt to that reality, cyber security experts said Oct. 3.

The staff of the Arizona Corporation Commission is recommending against any immediate reduction in solar incentives for customers of the state’s largest electric utility.

A report issued late Monday urges the commission to deny the July request from Arizona Public Service Co. to reduce by 30 to 60 percent the incentives offered to customers who opt for solar panel use.

Arizona’s energy regulators dug deep into the legal complications surrounding a proposal to open up the state’s electric market to competition.

Dismayed by the combative stance adopted by critics and proponents of electricity deregulation and dissatisfied by answers he’s received so far, a state regulator is mulling a court-style hearing to dig deeper into the pros and cons.

Some Arizonans, especially those in rural areas, face having their water bills dramatically increase when providers need to finance infrastructure improvements.

A senior policy expert at the Goldwater Institute said he has challenged an anti-deregulation critic to a one-on-one debate over a proposal for Arizona to dismantle its monopolistic system of providing electricity to homes and industries.

In this Aug. 2 interview, Mark Schiavoni, APS vice president for operations, argued that Arizona’s regulated model has worked for more than a century and there is no reason to plunge into the unfamiliar waters of competition. APS spokesman Jim McDonald also sat in for the chat with Arizona Capitol Times reporter Luige del Puerto.

Showdown looms over electrical deregulation
For a century, public utilities have produced and delivered electricity to homes and industries in a system that guarantees their profit and ensures steady service to residents.

Now, the Arizona Corporation Commission is considering whether to shake up the monopolies and bring competition to the state.

The Arizona Corporation Commission has asked the public to weigh in on electricity deregulation, which would break up the state’s system of “regulated monopoly” under which a handful of public utility companies are in charge of generating and distributing power to homes and industries.