Oncor, Major Parties Reach Agreement on Advanced Metering Proposal

Oncor and more than a half-dozen major parties involved in the regulatory proceeding to review the Advanced Metering System (AMS) deployment proposed by the utility reached an agreement, setting the stage for review and approval by the full Commission.

DALLAS (Business Wire EON) August 12, 2008 -- The Office of Public Utility Counsel, the Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Steering Committee of Cities served by Oncor and a number of major electric retailers were among the parties that negotiated with Oncor over the past month to reach the agreement on the deployment plan and monthly surcharge.

"This is an important step in the process, and we are excited that this brings us closer to being able to move forward with bringing the benefits of advanced metering to customers in the Oncor service area. We look forward to now having the Commissioners hear and rule on our proposal," said Jim Greer, Oncor senior vice president of asset management.

With the filing of the settlement, the PUC could issue a final ruling as early as the end of August. Upon receipt of the required approval, Oncor would begin assessing the surcharge to Retail Electric Providers (REP) in January 2009 and begin broad deployment of the new meters at the same time. The monthly surcharge for the residential consumer will be $2.22.

Oncor is a regulated electric distribution and transmission business that uses superior asset management skills to provide reliable electricity delivery to consumers. Oncor operates the largest distribution and transmission system in Texas, providing power to 3 million electric delivery points over more than 102,000 miles of distribution and 14,000 miles of transmission lines. While Oncor is a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., Oncor is a separate entity with a separate board that is comprised of a majority of independent directors.