[Adopted 9-24-2019 by Ord. No. 19-24; amended 11-5-2019 by Ord. No. 19-27]
The Township of Piscataway ("Township") hereby establishes a government energy aggregation program, in accordance with the provisions of the Government Energy Aggregation Act, N.J.S.A. 48:3-93.1 et seq. and the rules promulgated thereunder, N.J.A.C. 14:4-6.1 et seq. Title 13 of the Piscataway Municipal Township Code, "Public Services," is amended to add this new Chapter 33, titled "Piscataway Community Energy Aggregation Program."
The Township's program may be referred to as the Piscataway Community Energy Aggregation ("PCEA"). The Township shall be the lease agency and any agreements entered into in connection with the program by authorized personnel shall be subject to review by the Township.
The Mayor of the Township of Piscataway ("Mayor") shall be and is authorized to execute and the Clerk to attest to the execution of an electric distribution aggregation agreement, in form acceptable to the Township and the utility serving the Township, which is PSE&G at the time of this chapter's passage.
Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Government Energy Aggregation Act and the rules promulgated thereunder, and specifically N.J.A.C. 14:4-6.2, the Township shall oversee the PCEA as lead agency and, in that capacity, and consistent with applicable rules, shall solicit one or more requests for proposals for electric generation services and energy aggregation services on behalf of Township's residents and businesses. The Mayor may execute and enter into a contract for such services, subject to §§ 33-1.5 and 33-1.6 and provided that the lowest qualified bid price for electricity generation service is consistent with N.J.A.C. 14:4-6.9 and notice is provided to residential customers should the price exceed the benchmark price, as required by N.J.A.C. 14:4-6.9(g). Pursuant to the regulations of the Government Energy Aggregation Act, a public notice of the PCEA program will be issued whereby nonresidential energy customers may opt into the PCEA program and residential customers may opt out.
Any requests for proposals for electricity generating services must state that no contract will be warded unless that electricity contain renewable electricity of at least 30% by 2020, 50% by 2024, 80% by 2028, 90% by 2032, and 100% by 2035, and the renewable electricity attributes should be sourced from within the region currently served by PJM to the maximum extent possible. The Mayor may not execute and enter into a contract for electricity-generating services unless it meets the renewable percentages specified in this section.
The Mayor may also execute a master performance agreement that obligates the participants in the PCEA to purchase electricity at terms and conditions stated therein with a third-party supplier who has been awarded the contract by Township on behalf of participating members of the PCEA, and provided that such a contract shall be at process reasonably forecast and estimated by the Township to provide for basic generation service by the utility serving the Township, which is PSE&G at the time of this chapter's passage.