Optional Binding Mandatory Curtailment (OBMC) Plan

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At the order of the CPUC, the Optional Binding Mandatory Curtailment Program (OBMC) has been capped at its current megawatt level. E-mail OBMCWaitingList@pge.com if you want to be placed on the waiting list. Learn more.

Avoid rotating outages in tight demand periods by reducing the entire electric circuit load of your facility.

Who Qualifies?

• PG&E bundled-service customers
• Direct access service customers in PG&E service area
• Customers who can reduce their electric load within 15 minutes of notification
• Customers who can achieve a 15 percent load reduction below their established baseline

How It Works

PG&E will notify you (via e-mail address and text messaging device you designate) of the required load reduction (5 to 15 percent) and give you the start and end times of the event, which will:

• Occur on any day (holidays and weekends included) without limitations to frequency and duration
• Exempt you from “block progression” rotating outages
• Require you submit a load-reduction plan each year

PLEASE NOTE: PG&E calculates the load reduction levels for this program as a percentage of the baseline on your circuit. PG&E will ask you to reduce the load on your circuit to a specific level during each event. If you share an electric circuit with other PG&E customers and you are the OBMC lead customer, you will need to work with the affected customers to ensure that the load reductions for the entire circuit meet the program requirements.

Incentives

There are no financial incentives for participating in OBMC. Your benefit is exemption from rotating outages. However, if you are not able to reduce your load to the level specified in each notice, there are penalties:

• A $6 penalty for each kWh above your power reduction commitment
• Plan termination for failure to reduce load a second time during a 1-year period
• OBMC participation denied for a period of five years after termination

Equipment Requirements

• If you are the only customer on your circuit, standard interval metering may be sufficient for you to participate in the program.
• For multi-customer circuits, substation-level metering is required.
• Program participants will pay the cost of any additional required metering equipment.
• PG&E will facilitate communications between customers on a shared electric circuit for the purposes of participating in this program.

For more information, contact your local PG&E account representative or call 1-800-468-4743. For detailed information on OBMC, please review the tariff (PDF, 125 KB) for this program.