OAR 860-029-0060: Obligation to Pay and Reimbursement of Interconnection Costs

(1) Interconnection costs are the responsibility of the owner or operator of the qualifying facility. Interconnection costs that may reasonably be incurred by the public utility will be assessed against a qualifying facility on a nondiscriminatory basis with respect to other customers with similar load or other cost-related characteristics. (2) The public utility will be reimbursed by the qualifying facility for any reasonable interconnection costs including costs of financing at an interest rate no greater than the effective rate of the public utility’s last senior securities issuance at the time of the contract with the qualifying facility. Such reimbursement may be over any agreed period not greater than one-half the length of any contract between the public utility and the qualifying facility when the contract is for a period greater than two years; otherwise, reimbursement will be made over a one-year period. At the public utility’s option and with the Commission’s approval, a public utility may guarantee a loan to a qualifying facility for interconnection costs rather than finance such costs from the public utility’s own funds.