N.M. Stat. § 62-18-6
Adjustment mechanism; adjustment procedures; hearing
procedures if commission determines adjustment made in error.
A. If the commission issues a financing order, the qualifying utility for which the
order is issued may charge all of the qualifying utility's customers an energy transition
charge, which shall be allocated to customer classes consistent with the production cost
allocation methodology established by the commission in the qualifying utility's most
recent general rate case. Energy transition charges shall be assessed consistent with
the production cost allocation methodology and the determination of energy and
demand costs within each customer class, both of which shall be subject to the
adjustment mechanism.
B. The commission shall periodically approve adjustments of the energy transition
charges pursuant to the adjustment mechanism approved in the financing order to
correct for any over-collection or under-collection of the energy transition charge and to
provide for timely payment of scheduled principal of and interest on the energy
transition bonds and the payment and recovery of financing costs in accordance with
the financing order. Except as provided in Subsection C of this section, the qualifying
utility shall file at least semiannually, or more frequently as provided in the financing
order:
(1)
a calculation estimating whether the existing energy transition charge is
sufficient to provide for timely payment of scheduled principal of and interest on the
energy transition bonds and the payment and recovery of other financing costs in
accordance with the financing order or if either an over-collection or under-collection is
projected; and
(2)
a calculation showing the adjustment to the energy transition charge to
correct for any over-collection or under-collection of energy transition charges.
C. The qualifying utility shall file the calculations described in Subsection B of this
section at least quarterly during the two-year period preceding the final maturity date of
the energy transition bonds.
D. The adjustment mechanism shall remain in effect until the energy transition
bonds and all financing costs have been fully paid and recovered, any under-collection
is recovered from customers and any over-collection is returned to customers.
E. On the same day the qualifying utility files with the commission its calculation of
the adjustment to the energy transition charge, the qualifying utility shall cause notice of
the filing to be given to the parties of record in the case in which the financing order was
issued.
F. An adjustment to the energy transition charge filed by the qualifying utility shall
be deemed approved without hearing thirty days after filing the adjustment unless:
(1)
no later than twenty days from the date the qualifying utility filed the
calculation of the adjustment, the commission is notified of a potential mathematical or
transcription error in the adjustment; provided that the notice identifies the error with
specificity; and
(2)
the commission determines that the calculation of the adjustment is
unlikely to provide for timely payment, or is likely to result in a material overpayment, of
scheduled principal of and interest on the energy transition bonds and the payment and
recovery of other financing costs in accordance with the financing order and, based on
that determination, suspends operation of the adjustment, pending a hearing limited to
the issue of the error in the adjustment; provided that the suspension shall be for a
period not to exceed sixty days from the date the qualifying utility filed the calculation of
the adjustment.
G. If the commission determines that a hearing is necessary, the commission shall
hold a hearing on the proposed adjustment that shall be limited to determining whether
there is a mathematical or transcription error in the calculation of the adjustment. If,
after a hearing, the commission determines that the calculation of the adjustment
contains a mathematical or transcription error, the commission shall issue an order that
rejects and corrects the adjustment. The qualifying utility shall adjust the energy
transition charge in accordance with the commission's calculation within five days from
issuance of the order. If the commission does not issue an order rejecting the
adjustment with a determination of the corrected calculation within sixty days from the
date the qualifying utility filed the adjustment, the adjustment to the energy transition
charge shall be deemed approved.
H. No adjustment pursuant to this section, and no proceeding held pursuant to this
section, shall affect the irrevocability of the financing order pursuant to Section 7 [62-18-
7 NMSA 1978] of the Energy Transition Act.