Renewable Portfolio Standard RFO - December 2013

San Diego Gas & Electric Company (“SDG&E”) is issuing this Request for Offers (“RFO”) to solicit offers from eligible renewable energy generators (“Respondents”).  By responding, Respondents are bound by the terms of this RFO. 

SDG&E is required to serve its customers in the following manner: (a) with an average of 20% of retail sales from renewable resources between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2013, inclusive  (“Compliance Period 1”) (b) with 25% of retail sales from renewable resources by December 31, 2016, with reasonable progress made in 2014 and 2015  (“Compliance Period 2”); (c) with 33% of retail sales from renewable resources by December 31, 2020, with reasonable progress made in 2017, 2018 and 2019  (“Compliance Period 3”); and (d) with 33% of retail sales from renewable resources in each year beyond 2020  (“Post 2020 Compliance Period”). 

SDG&E is seeking resources that meet the requirements of the products outlined in Public Utilities Code 399.16(b) to expand its renewable portfolio for Compliance Period 3 and 2021.  Details regarding the definition and specific eligibility requirements for each of these products are outlined in the RFO Document, and a summary of the products sought is as follows:

• Category 1: Long-term energy only or fully deliverable bundled 1 products (term of 15 years, projects with CODs as early as 2016 will be accepted, but the initial PPA delivery date will be January 2020 at the earliest, projects with CODs as late as 2021 will also be considered)
• Category 2: Long-term energy only or fully deliverable firmed and shaped 2 products (term of 15 years, projects with CODs as early as 2016 will be accepted, but the initial PPA delivery date will be January 2020 at the earliest, projects with CODs as late as 2021 will also be considered)
• Category 3: Unbundled RECs 3 that will be generated in January of 2018 at the earliest with a preference for those generated in 2020 and 2021

Resources offered must meet the California Renewables Portfolio Standard (“RPS”) eligibility criteria set forth by the California Energy Commission (“CEC”).  Proposed products may be for Peaking, Baseload, Dispatchable (unit firm), As-available or unbundled RECs.  Proposed resources may include capacity, energy, or unbundled RECs from:

• Re-powering of existing facilities;
• Incremental capacity upgrades of existing facilities;
• New facilities;
• New facilities that are scheduled to come online during the years specified in this RFO that have excess or uncontracted quantities of power for a short time frame;
• Existing facilities with expiring contracts; or
• Eligible resources currently under contract with SDG&E.  SDG&E shall consider offers to extend terms of or expand contracted capacities for existing agreements.

SDG&E is not requesting bids for any other RPS procurement activities that currently exist or are being contemplated.

Winning Category 1 and 2 Respondents must be poised to sign an agreement in substantially the form of the Model Power Purchase Agreement.  Winning Category 3 Respondents must enter into an Edison Electric Institute (“EEI”) Master Agreement, which can be found on the EEI website, with SDG&E if Respondent has not done so already, along with the associated Model REC Agreement.  Any resultant agreement shall be subject to CPUC approval, and must be executed within twelve (12) months from the date upon which the shortlist was submitted to the CPUC.

Solicitation Protocols

Details regarding the solicitation process, eligibility requirements, and PowerAdvocate® are provided in the RFO document below.

RFO Document

Required Forms and Documents

Respondents may submit offers to this solicitation by submitting the forms listed below which are available on the RFO Website and PowerAdvocate®.  Failure to provide the required information may result in the offer being deemed non-conforming and may disqualify the offer from further consideration.

Required Forms for Category 1 and 2 Offers

If the respondent is submitting offers for more than one project, each project must be submitted in a separate compressed ZIP archive with its required forms. Forms and compressed ZIP archives must be clearly labeled to identify the project name and the submitted forms. All forms are located on the PowerAdvocate® site in the “1. Download Documents” Tab and must be submitted by uploading to the “2. Upload Documents” Tab.

• Participation Summary
   
• Project Description Form - Submit one per project.
   
• Pricing Form - Respondents may submit up to three pricing options per project.  The Pricing Form also contains the Project Viability Calculator.  Respondents must self-assess the viability of the proposed project using the CPUC’s Project Viability Calculator (“PVC”).
   
• Credit Application
   
• Model PPA - Required for offers that include energy deliveries.  Respondents shall populate and redline the Model PPA.
   
• Interconnection Documents (provided by bidders)
  Respondents must provide an electronic copy of the proposed project’s completed CAISO GIP Phase II or equivalent study or exemption.  If the facility is existing, Respondent must provide the facility’s interconnection agreement.
   
• Firming and Shaping/Substitute Energy Agreement (provided by bidders)
  Respondent must provide evidence of the proposed project’s firming and shaping agreement (either draft, or executed version if completed). [Category 2 Only]

Required Forms for Category 3 Offers

If the respondent is submitting offers for more than one project, each project must be submitted in a separate compressed ZIP archive with its required forms. Forms and compressed ZIP archives must be clearly labeled to identify the project name and the submitted forms. All forms are located on the PowerAdvocate® site in the “1. Download Documents” Tab and must be submitted by uploading to the “2. Upload Documents” Tab.

• Participation Summary
   
• Project Description Form – Submit one per project.
   
• REC Pricing Form – Respondents may submit up to three pricing options per project.
   
• Model REC Agreement – Required for offers for unbundled RECs only. Respondents shall populate and redline the Model REC Agreement.

Submitting Offers

Any party interested in submitting an Offer must register and receive access to the 2013 SDG&E RPS RFO event on PowerAdvocate® in order to submit an Offer. To register, Respondents must follow the instructions outlined in Section 2 of the RFO document (RFO Website and Communications). All Offers must be uploaded to PowerAdvocate® no later than 12:00 p.m., Pacific Prevailing Time, on the CLOSING DATE (see RFO Schedule).  If Respondents encounter technical difficulties with the uploading process, they should provide evidence of such difficulties (e.g. a screen shot of the error message) and email the bid to:

The RFO mailbox: [email protected]

Carbon Copy (CC) to: [email protected]

Emails shall be received by 12:00 p.m., Pacific Prevailing Time, on the Closing Date. 

RPS RFO Schedule

The above schedule and deadlines apply to this RFO.  SDG&E reserves the right to revise this schedule at any time and at SDG&E's sole discretion.  Respondents are responsible for accessing the RFO website for updated schedules and possible amendments to the RFO or the solicitation process.

RFO Communication

All questions or other communications regarding this RFO should be submitted via e-mail to [email protected].  All questions and answers will be posted on this website anonymously.  SDG&E will not accept questions or comments in any other form, except during the pre-bid conference.  Respondents are encouraged to check this RFO Website periodically for updates, notices, and postings.

SDG&E’s 2013 RPS RFO Pre-Bid Conference Webinar on January 15, 2014

Date: January 15, 2014
Time: 9:30AM – 12PM
Audience link: http://engage.vevent.com/rt/sempra~011514_1630396
Participant dial in (toll-free): (866) 837-9781

Pre-Bid Presentation (pdf)

Pre-Bid Conference Webinar

SDG&E will host one pre-bid conference webinar on January 15, 2013. Though encouraged, participation in the pre-bid conference is NOT mandatory in order to submit an offer. Please monitor the RFO Website periodically for updated information. 

Any party interested in attending this pre-bid conference webinar should email the information below to [email protected] by January 8, 2013. Please limit your participation to two representatives per organization.

• Company name
• Attendees’ names, titles and contact information

[1] As defined by Public Utilities Code (“PUC”) Section 399.16(b)(1)

[2] As defined by PUC Section 399.16(b)(2)

[3] As defined by PUC Section 399.16(b)(3)