Implementation Process - Peregrine Group

Implementation Process

The process for implementing a community choice aggregation in Massachusetts is overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU).

The steps involved in developing, receiving regulatory approval for, and launching an aggregation are predictable, though the time required for each step can vary from community to community. The entire process typically lasts many months and can last more than a year.

Who does what

Learn more about the roles of the community, your consultant, the electricity supplier, and your utility in developing and launching an aggregation.

8 required steps to program launch

1	Public vote	Your city or town votes publicly to pursue aggregation.
2	Aggregation plan development	Your community develops an aggregation plan. This document lays out at a high level the goals for the aggregation and how it will be structured. It also explains the steps your community will take to implement and manage the aggregation and meet regulatory requirements. As part of this effort, your community also develops an education an outreach plan for your program and a model electricity supply contract.
3	Aggregation plan presentation to the public	The aggregation plan, education and outreach plan, and model electricity supply contract are presented to the public for review and comment.
4	DOER consultation	Your community’s aggregation plan and associated documents are submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) for review. This step includes a meeting with DOER.
5	DPU review and approval	After the DOER meeting occurs and the public comment period concludes, your community’s aggregation plan and associated documents are submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) for review and approval. The DPU review process includes a hearing where the public may provide comment. The DPU review is the longest part of the process and can require more than a year.
6	Electricity supply contract procurement	Once the DPU issues an order approving the aggregation, a competitive procurement process is conducted to select and sign a contract with an electricity supplier for the aggregation. During this step, your community makes final decisions about the number of options in your program, the price for each, and the renewable energy content of each.
7	Public education and outreach	Before your program can launch, your community must conduct a public education and outreach effort about the program. This effort includes a mailing to electricity customers that are eligible for automatic enrollment as well as informational events open to the community. Customers have 30 days to opt out of the program if they do not wish to be enrolled at all. Customers that allow themselves to be enrolled retain the right to opt out at any time in the future with no fee or penalty.
8	Account enrollment / program launch	At the conclusion of the public education period, eligible accounts are enrolled in the program, and the program launches.