278.020 Certificate of convenience and necessity required for construction provision of utility service or of utility -- Exceptions -- Approval required for acquisition or transfer of ownership -- Public hearing on proposed transmission line -- Limitations upon approval of application to transfer control of utility or to abandon or cease provision of services -- Hearing -- Severability of provisions. (1) (a) No person, partnership, public or private corporation, or combination thereof shall commence providing utility service to or for the public or begin the construction of any plant, equipment, property, or facility for furnishing to the public any of the services enumerated in KRS 278.010, except: 1. Retail electric suppliers for service connections to electric-consuming facilities located within its certified territory; 2. Ordinary extensions of existing systems in the usual course of business; or 3. A water district created under KRS Chapter 74 or a water association formed under KRS Chapter 273 that undertakes a waterline extension or improvement project if the water district or water association is a Class A or B utility as defined in the uniform system of accounts established by the commission according to KRS 278.220 and: a. b. The water line extension or improvement project will not cost more than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000); or The water district or water association will not, as a result of the water line extension or improvement project, incur obligations requiring commission approval as required by KRS 278.300. In either case, the water district or water association shall not, as a result of the water line extension or improvement project, increase rates to its customers; until that person has obtained from the Public Service Commission a certificate that public convenience and necessity require the service or construction. (b) Upon the filing of an application for a certificate, and after any public hearing which the commission may in its discretion conduct for all interested parties, the commission may issue or refuse to issue the certificate, or issue it in part and refuse it in part, except that the commission shall not refuse or modify an application submitted under KRS 278.023 without consent by the parties to the agreement. (c) The commission, when considering an application for a certificate to construct a base load electric generating facility, may consider the policy of the General Assembly to foster and encourage use of Kentucky coal by electric utilities serving the Commonwealth. (d) The commission, when considering an application for a certificate to construct an electric transmission line, may consider the interstate benefits expected to be achieved by the proposed construction or modification of electric transmission facilities in the Commonwealth. (e) Unless exercised within one (1) year from the grant thereof, exclusive of any delay due to the order of any court or failure to obtain any necessary grant or consent, the authority conferred by the issuance of the certificate of convenience and necessity shall be void, but the beginning of any new construction or facility in good faith within the time prescribed by the commission and the prosecution thereof with reasonable diligence shall constitute an exercise of authority under the certificate. (2) For the purposes of this section, construction of any electric transmission line of one hundred thirty-eight (138) kilovolts or more and of more than five thousand two hundred eighty (5,280) feet in length shall not be considered an ordinary extension of an existing system in the usual course of business and shall require a certificate of public convenience and necessity. However, ordinary extensions of existing systems in the usual course of business not requiring such a certificate shall include: (a) The replacement or upgrading of any existing electric transmission line; or (b) The relocation of any existing electric transmission line to accommodate construction or expansion of a roadway or other transportation infrastructure; or (c) An electric transmission line that is constructed solely to serve a single customer and that will pass over no property other than that owned by the customer to be served. (3) Prior to granting a certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct facilities to provide the services set forth in KRS 278.010(3)(f), the commission shall require the applicant to provide a surety bond, or a reasonable guaranty that the applicant shall operate the facilities in a reasonable and reliable manner for a period of at least five (5) years. The surety bond or guaranty shall be in an amount sufficient to ensure the full and faithful performance by the applicant or its successors of the obligations and requirements of this chapter and of all applicable federal and state environmental requirements. However, no surety bond or guaranty shall be required for an applicant that is a water district or water association or for an applicant that the commission finds has sufficient assets to ensure the continuity of sewage service. (4) No utility shall exercise any right or privilege under any franchise or permit, after the exercise of that right or privilege has been voluntarily suspended or discontinued for more than one (1) year, without first obtaining from the commission, in the manner provided in subsection (1) of this section, a certificate of convenience and necessity authorizing the exercise of that right or privilege. (5) No utility shall apply for or obtain any franchise, license, or permit from any city or other governmental agency until it has obtained from the commission, in the manner provided in subsection (1) of this section, a certificate of convenience and necessity showing that there is a demand and need for the service sought to be rendered. (6) No person shall acquire or transfer ownership of, or control, or the right to control, any utility under the jurisdiction of the commission by sale of assets, transfer of stock, or otherwise, or abandon the same, without prior approval by the commission. The commission shall grant its approval if the person acquiring the utility has the financial, technical, and managerial abilities to provide reasonable service. (7) No individual, group, syndicate, general or limited partnership, association, corporation, joint stock company, trust, or other entity (an "acquirer"), whether or not organized under the laws of this state, shall acquire control, either directly or indirectly, of any utility furnishing utility service in this state, without having first obtained the approval of the commission. Any acquisition of control without prior authorization shall be void and of no effect. As used in this subsection, the term "control" means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a utility, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by effecting a change in the composition of the board of directors, by contract or otherwise. Control shall be presumed to exist if any individual or entity, directly or indirectly, owns ten percent (10%) or more of the voting securities of the utility. This presumption may be rebutted by a showing that ownership does not in fact confer control. Application for any approval or authorization shall be made to the commission in writing, verified by oath or affirmation, and be in a form and contain the information as the commission requires. The commission shall approve any proposed acquisition when it finds that the same is to be made in accordance with law, for a proper purpose and is consistent with the public interest. The commission may make investigation and hold hearings in the matter as it deems necessary, and thereafter may grant any application under this subsection in whole or in part and with modification and upon terms and conditions as it deems necessary or appropriate. The commission shall grant, modify, refuse, or prescribe appropriate terms and conditions with respect to every such application within sixty (60) days after the filing of the application therefor, unless it is necessary, for good cause shown, to continue the application for up to sixty (60) additional days. The order continuing the application shall state fully the facts that make continuance necessary. In the absence of that action within that period of time, any proposed acquisition shall be deemed to be approved. (8) Subsection (7) of this section shall not apply to any acquisition of control of any: (a) Utility which derives a greater percentage of its gross revenue from business in another jurisdiction than from business in this state if the commission determines that the other jurisdiction has statutes or rules which are applicable and are being applied and which afford protection to ratepayers in this state substantially equal to that afforded such ratepayers by subsection (7) of this section; (b) Utility by an acquirer who directly, or indirectly through one (1) or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, the utility, including any entity created at the direction of such utility for purposes of corporate reorganization; or (c) Utility pursuant to the terms of any indebtedness of the utility, provided the (9) issuance of indebtedness was approved by the commission. In a proceeding on an application filed pursuant to this section, any interested person, including a person over whose property the proposed transmission line will cross, may request intervention, and the commission shall, if requested, conduct a public hearing in the county in which the transmission line is proposed to be constructed, or, if the transmission line is proposed to be constructed in more than one county, in one of those counties. The commission shall issue its decision no later than ninety (90) days after the application is filed, unless the commission extends this period, for good cause, to one hundred twenty (120) days. The commission may utilize the provisions of KRS 278.255(3) if, in the exercise of its discretion, it deems it necessary to hire a competent, qualified and independent firm to assist it in reaching its decision. The issuance by the commission of a certificate that public convenience and necessity require the construction of an electric transmission line shall be deemed to be a determination by the commission that, as of the date of issuance, the construction of the line is a prudent investment. (10) The commission shall not approve any application under subsection (6) or (7) of this section for the transfer of control of a utility described in KRS 278.010(3)(f) unless the commission finds, in addition to findings required by those subsections, that the person acquiring the utility has provided evidence of financial integrity to ensure the continuity of sewage service in the event that the acquirer cannot continue to provide service. (11) The commission shall not accept for filing an application requesting authority to abandon facilities that provide services as set forth in KRS 278.010(3)(f) or to cease providing services unless the applicant has provided written notice of the filing to the following: (a) Kentucky Division of Water; (b) Office of the Attorney General; and (c) The county judge/executive, mayor, health department, planning and zoning commission, and public sewage service provider of each county and each city in which the utility provides utility service. (12) The commission may grant any application requesting authority to abandon facilities that provide services as set forth in KRS 278.010(3)(f) or to cease providing services upon terms and conditions as the commission deems necessary or appropriate, but not before holding a hearing on the application and no earlier than ninety (90) days from the date of the commission's acceptance of the application for filing, unless the commission finds it necessary for good cause to act upon the application earlier. (13) If any provision of this section or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this section which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to that end the provisions are declared to be severable. Effective: June 27, 2019 History: Amended 2019 Ky. Acts ch. 66, sec. 1, effective June 27, 2019. -- Amended 2018 Ky. Acts ch. 171, sec. 9, effective April 14, 2018; and ch. 207, sec. 9, effective April 27, 2018. -- Amended 2016 Ky. Acts ch. 50, sec. 1, effective April 8, 2016. -- Amended 2006 Ky. Acts ch. 137, sec. 1, effective July 12, 2006. -- Amended 2004 Ky. Acts ch. 75, sec. 1, effective July 13, 2004. -- Amended 2001 Ky. Acts ch. 35, sec. 1, effective June 21, 2001. -- Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 388, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 144, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1994. – Amended 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 102, sec. 2, effective July 14, 1992. -- Amended 1988 Ky. Acts ch. 12, sec. 3, effective July 15, 1988; ch. 22, sec. 5, effective July 15, 1988; ch. 335, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1988. -- Amended 1986 Ky. Acts ch. 368, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1986. -- Amended 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 82, sec. 5, effective July 15, 1982; ch. 130, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1982. -- Amended 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 379, sec. 6, effective April 1, 1979. -- Amended 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 388, sec. 3. -- Amended 1972 Ky. Acts ch. 83, sec. 5. -- Recodified 1942 Ky. Acts ch. 208, sec. 1, effective October 1, 1942, from Ky. Stat. sec. 3952-25.