Feds Approve Google’s Move Into Energy Markets

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved Google’s move into the energy market.

In December, the Internet giant’s subsidiary, Google Energy, requested market-based rate authority and approval to sell energy, capacity and ancillary services.

Google Energy does not own or control wholesale electric generation or transmission facilities, nor does it have a franchised service area to sell electricity.

However, Google Energy intends to act as a power marketer by purchasing electricity and reselling it to wholesale customers.

“Based on Google Energy’s representations, we find that Google Energy satisfies the Commission’s requirements for market-based rates regarding vertical market power,” FERC said.

When Google announced its plans in late December, the California Public Utilities Commission filed a motion to stop the application. However, the California Public Utilities Commission, which filed its motion Jan. 14, was a day too late, as the time for interventions or protests ended Jan. 13.

One group, the Mabuhay Alliance, expressed concerns about the impact of the filing on Asian American and other minority communities.

However, FERC said that the Mabuhay Alliance “offers no facts or evidence that Google Energy has market power in Commission-regulated markets and thus should be denied market-based rate authority.”