2016 Biomass Renewable Auction Mechanism (BioRAM)

SDG&E’s 2016 BioRAM RFO Seeking RAM Power Purchase Agreements

In accordance with Resolution E-4770 (BioRAM Resolution) issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC or Commission), San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) is issuing this Request for Offers (RFO) seeking contracts with generation facilities that can use biofuel from high hazard zones utilizing the Renewable Auction Mechanism (RAM) procurement process (BioRAM), to address the Governor’s Emergency Proclamation (Emergency Proclamation). 

This BioRAM solicitation calls for SDG&E to procure at least 10 MW of capacity from new or existing facilities that are able to meet the requirements included in the BioRAM Resolution and BioRAM RFO Protocol using the RAM Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and BioRAM Rider (collectively, the BioRAM PPA).  For existing facilities, the PPA may be for 5-year, 10-year, 15-year, or 20-year delivery terms, with the option by SDG&E to extend a 5-year PPA for up to five, one-year extensions (for a cumulative total of ten consecutive contract years).  For new facilities, the PPA may be for 10-year, 15-year, or 20-year delivery terms.  For both existing and new facilities, SDG&E has a preference for PPAs with shorter delivery terms.

Note: SDG&E is seeking clarification from the California Public Utility Commission’s General Counsel as to the direction given in Energy Division Director, Ed Randolph’s June 15 letter regarding SDG&E’s compliance with the BioRAM Resolution and reserves the right to modify its BioRAM solicitation as to contract delivery term based upon the General Counsel’s review.

This solicitation is limited to seeking PPAs through the RAM.  This solicitation is not requesting bids for feed-in-tariff projects (e.g. Re-MAT, Bio-MAT), SunRate, Share the Sun projects, or other RPS procurement activities that currently exist or are being contemplated.

Solicitation Protocols:

Details regarding the solicitation process and eligibility requirements are provided in the RFO document below.

• 2016 BioRAM RFO

Required Forms and Documents:

Respondents may submit offers to this solicitation by submitting the forms listed below. Forms are available on the RFO Website. The failure to provide the required information may result in the offer being deemed non-conforming and may disqualify the offer from further consideration.

• Project Description Form (doc) - Submit one per project.
• Pricing Form - May submit two pricing options per project (one showing Energy Only pricing and another showing Full Capacity Deliverability Status pricing)
• Site Control Documentation
• Copy of interconnection agreement, most recent study results or equivalent Fast Track documentation.
• BioRAM Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) (doc)

  The Form RAM PPA includes some terms that provide options (e.g. 10, 15, or 20 year term). The form RAM PPA and BioRAM Rider are non-modifiable. Respondents should ensure that they adequately describe their fuel supply plan and how Respondent intends to meet the High Hazard Zone Fuel Minimums.

• BioRAM PPA Rider

Any party interested in submitting an offer must submit the offer electronically via PowerAdvocate®, and attach all required forms and bid materials to the offer.  Respondents intending to bid and who do not have an existing account with PowerAdvocate® must first register to create a username/password in order to receive access to the event.  See below for instructions to log in/register:

Logging In to PowerAdvocate

You can access the PowerAdvocate platform via a web browser.

To log in

1. Open a web browser and go to http://poweradvocate.com

   PowerAdvocate functions in most web browsers; however, using browsers other than Internet Explorer (IE) version 6 or higher may cause certain functionality to work unexpectedly. Should you encounter problems, PowerAdvocate support may be unable to provide assistance until the issue has been replicated in a supported version of Internet Explorer.

2. Click Login.

   The Login page appears; you may wish to bookmark it for quick access.

3. Enter your account User Name and Password.

   Both are case-sensitive.

   If you do not have an account, go to http://poweradvocate.com and click the Registration link at the top of the page. If you have an account but do not remember your user information, click Forgot User Name or Forgot Password and they will be emailed to you.

4. Click Login.

First-time users must register as a Supplier using the instructions above and the Referral information below to access the RFO event:

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Users with an existing PowerAdvocate® account may request access to the event using the link below:

https://www.poweradvocate.com/pR.do?okey=58441&pubEvent=true

All parties interested in submitting an offer must register to receive access to the 2016 SDG&E BioRAM RFO event on PowerAdvocate® in order to submit an offer. To register, Respondents must follow the instructions outlined above. All offers must be uploaded to PowerAdvocate® no later than 12:00 p.m. (i.e. Noon), Pacific Standard Time, on July 28, 2016 (Closing Date) (see also the BioRAM RFO Schedule).

The Project Description Form must be in Word or Word-compatible format (not in PDF). The Pricing Form must be in Excel or Excel-compatible format (not in PDF). The interconnection and site control documentation must be submitted in PDF format.

RFO Communication

All questions or other communications regarding this RFO should be submitted via e-mail to RAMSolicitation@sdge.com. All questions and answers will be posted on this website anonymously. SDG&E will not accept questions or comments in any other form, except during the bidder’s conference. Respondents are encouraged to check this RFO Website periodically for updates, notices, and postings.

Bidder’s Conference

SDG&E will hold one bidder’s conference via web conference. The bidder’s conference will be held on July 06, 2016 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, PST. If you plan to join, please email RAMSolicitation@sdge.com, by Friday, July 1, 2016, and provide your company name and a list of attendees including their full names and contact information. Please limit participation to two representatives per company.

2016 BioRAM RFO Bidder’s Conference (July 06, 2016) 

Event reference: 3908581
Date: 6 Jul 2016 – 1:00 PM, PST

Bidder’s Conference presentation
Audience link: https://engage.vevent.com/rt/sempra/index.jsp?seid=145
Participant dial in (toll-free)*: (866) 835-8905  Conference ID: 1674068

Please check the RAM RFO website periodically for updates, notices and postings.

*Participation in the bidder’s conference is NOT mandatory in order to submit an offer.

RFO Announcements

Please check this website periodically as SDG&E will post all solicitation announcements, including scheduling changes or RFO amendments if any.

• Presentation (pdf)
• Q and A (pdf)

Submitting Offers

All parties interested in submitting an offer must register to receive access to the 2016 SDG&E BioRAM RFO event on PowerAdvocate® in order to submit an offer.  To register, Respondents must follow the instructions outlined above.  All offers must be uploaded to PowerAdvocate® no later than 12:00 p.m. (i.e. Noon), Pacific Standard Time, on July 28, 2016 (Closing Date) (see also the BioRAM RFO Schedule). If Respondents encounter technical difficulties with uploading, they should provide evidence of such difficulties (e.g. a screen shot of the error message) and email the bid to the RAM RFO inbox by 1:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time, on the Closing Date. If the Respondent encounters further technical difficulties with the RAM RFO inbox, they should provide evidence of such difficulties (e.g. a screen shot of the error message or a sent email notice with a time stamp before 1:00 p.m. on the Closing Date) and submit a hard copy and a CD of the bid package to SDG&E and the Independent Evaluator at the addresses below by close of business on the day following the Closing Date.

• San Diego Gas & Electric Company
  Electric and Gas Procurement Department
  Attn: BioRAM Solicitation
  8315 Century Park Court, CP-21D
  San Diego, CA 92123-1548

• Independent Evaluator 
  Accion Group
  Harold T. Judd
  email: hjudd@acciongroup.com
  244 N. Main Street
  Concord, NH 03301

​2016 BioRAM Schedule