Wal-mart Wants A Say At Psc

The world’s largest retailer wants a say in Arkansas’ energy efficiency rulemaking.

In a Thursday filing at the state Public Service Commission, Walmart requested to intervene in a docket opened to further conservation and energy efficiency efforts. Walmart becomes the first corporate party to inject itself in the regulatory debate, noting that it is a "self-directing customer."

A number of utility companies are listed as parties in the case, while the National Audubon Society and consumer-oriented Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association are the only intervenors so far.

The retail giant’s filing said it has 117 outlets and distribution centers in Arkansas which use millions of kilowatts of electricity annually and make it one of the largest commercial and industrial users in the state. The Bentonville-based company highlighted that it has "self-directed" a number of energy efficiency and "demand-side management" measures including:

• Advanced metering systems in the U.S. and U.K.
• Daylight harvesting systems
• High-efficiency HVAC units
• White membrane roofs
• Heat reclamation from refrigeration equipment

The retailer said that its experience in other states would offer "substantial and unique insights" in the proceeding and it also argued that it needed to intervene in order to "protect its interests."

Walmart said the first order in the PSC docket to develop an evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) protocol would "directly impact the ability of Walmart to elect self-direction."

"As a large commercial customer, the interests of Walmart differ significantly from those of other stakeholders," the filing read. "Walmart seeks to intervene in this docket to protect its interests as a potential self-directing customer."

You can read the full order at this link.