Rhode Island
Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission
Commissioners
3Active Proceedings
Track Rhode Island Proceedings
Get notified when new dockets, commission orders, and regulatory developments are added for Rhode Island.
State Intelligence
Updated Jun 1, 2026Utility Landscape
National Grid (New England Power Company d/b/a National Grid)
IOUStatewide electric distribution and transmission across Rhode Island; serves approximately 770,000 customers
Subject to active multi-year rate plan proceedings and annual distribution system improvement charge (DSIC) reconciliations. Recent rate activity has focused on infrastructure modernization cost recovery and storm hardening investments under the RIPUC's performance-based regulation framework.
Rhode Island Energy (formerly Providence Energy / New England Gas, acquired by PPL)
IOUStatewide natural gas distribution serving approximately 280,000 customers across Providence, Kent, Washington, and Bristol counties
PPL Corporation completed acquisition in 2022; the utility has since filed for base rate increases citing capital investment in pipeline safety and leak-prone pipe replacement under the Gas Safety Enhancement Program. RIPUC scrutiny has intensified around rate design equity and low-income program funding.
Pascoag Utility District
muniElectric and water service to the village of Pascoag in the Town of Burrillville, northern Rhode Island
Operates as a quasi-municipal district largely outside RIPUC electric rate jurisdiction but subject to oversight on interconnection and certain water service matters. Small scale limits regulatory footprint at the commission level.
Block Island Power Company
IOUElectric service to Block Island (New Shoreham), transitioning from legacy diesel generation to offshore wind interconnection via the Block Island Wind Farm submarine cable
RIPUC closely monitors stranded cost recovery from retired diesel assets and the ongoing reliability obligations under the Block Island Transmission System. Rate cases are infrequent but highly scrutinized given the isolated system and tourism-dependent load profile.
Providence Water Supply Board
muniWholesale and retail water supply serving Providence and approximately 20 surrounding municipalities drawing from the Scituate Reservoir system
Operates under Providence city charter authority; RIPUC water jurisdiction is limited, but the utility intersects with commission proceedings on utility consolidation policy and environmental compliance cost recovery. Lead service line replacement mandates under federal LCRR are a current capital driver.
Key Issues
- —
Rhode Island Energy base rate case: The utility is expected to seek or has recently filed for electric and/or gas distribution rate increases to recover costs associated with grid modernization, leak-prone pipe replacement, and the transition costs from the PPL acquisition integration; RIPUC review of rate design and low-income cross-subsidization is a central contested issue.
- —
Performance-based regulation (PBR) framework evolution: RIPUC is actively developing or refining metrics and earnings adjustment mechanisms for National Grid and Rhode Island Energy under Rhode Island's Act on Climate mandates, with stakeholder proceedings examining how utility incentives align with decarbonization, electrification, and equity goals.
- —
Offshore wind cost allocation and grid integration: Following the commercial operation of Vineyard Wind and continued development of Revolution Wind and SouthFork Wind delivering power into the ISO-NE grid, RIPUC is engaged in proceedings addressing transmission cost recovery, procurement contract oversight under Rhode Island's renewable energy standard, and curtailment risk allocation.
- —
Electric vehicle infrastructure and transportation electrification: National Grid's make-ready EV charging infrastructure program is under RIPUC review for cost recovery, equity of deployment across income tiers, and coordination with RIDOT and municipal fleet electrification initiatives under the state's 2030 emissions reduction targets.
- —
Energy affordability and low-income program adequacy: Rising distribution and supply rates have prompted RIPUC and the Office of Energy Resources to examine the adequacy of Rhode Island's LIHEAP supplement, Arrearage Management Program (AMP), and utility-administered low-income discount rates, with potential proceedings on mandatory program funding levels.
Upcoming
Estimated deadline for RIPUC initial comments in the Rhode Island Energy annual GSEP (Gas Safety Enhancement Program) reconciliation filing covering program year 2025 expenditures; exact date subject to commission scheduling order.
Estimated evidentiary hearing window opens for National Grid annual DSIC (Distribution System Improvement Charge) rate reconciliation proceeding; intervenor testimony deadlines anticipated in July 2026 per standard commission scheduling practice.
Estimated RIPUC decision deadline on Rhode Island Energy's pending base rate case proceeding; statutory 10-month review period from anticipated 2025 Q4 filing would place final order in fall 2026. Parties including the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers and the Office of Energy Resources are expected to submit briefs by late August 2026.
Estimated target date for RIPUC to issue a report or order on the PBR framework docket establishing performance metrics and earnings adjustment mechanisms applicable to electric distribution utilities for the next multi-year rate plan cycle, following a stakeholder working group process initiated in 2025.
Commissioner Watch
View all ↗No commissioner changes tracked for this state yet.
Staff
11| Name | Title | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Todd Bianco | Chief Economic and Policy Analyst | (401) 780-2106 |
| Patti Lucarelli | Chief Legal Administrator | (401) 780-2104 |
| Luly Massaro | Commission Clerk | (401) 780-2107 |
| Alan Nault | Chief Public Utilities Accountant | (401) 780-2135 |
| Cynthia Wilson-Frias | Deputy Chief of Legal Services | (401) 780-2147 |
| Christopher Caramello | Public Utilities Analyst | (401) 780-2151 |
| Ryan Christopher Coyne | Senior Legal Counsel | (401) 780-2179 |
| Kristen Masse | Chief Implementation Aide | (401) 780-2108 |
| Steven Parrillo Jr | PUC Engineering Specialist II | (401) 780-2122 |
| Emma Rodvien | Senior Economic Policy Analyst | (401) 780-2173 |
| Jordan Sasa | Senior Legal Counsel | (401) 941-4500 |
⚡ PUC Watch
Stay ahead of every
state regulator
- —Commissioner appointments, departures, and elevations — all 51 jurisdictions
- —Rate cases, dockets, and proceedings worth tracking this week
- —Delivered every Monday, free