The Ratepayer Protection Act amends federal utility law to establish a new standard requiring large commercial customers to pay the full cost of any electrical grid upgrades needed to serve their facilities. A "large-load customer" is defined as a non-residential business with a peak electricity demand of 100 megawatts or more at a single location, and utilities must require these customers to provide financial assurances or upfront contributions to cover upgrade costs before construction begins. Importantly, large customers must also reimburse utilities for the full cost of these upgrades even if they later terminate their service contracts and stop purchasing electricity. The bill requires states and utilities to begin considering this standard within one year of enactment and to complete their review and make a determination within two years, though states that have already implemented this requirement or held proceedings on it are exempt from the timeline.
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