"Affiliate" means a person or corporation that meets the definition of an "affiliated interest" in RCW 80.16.010.

"Avoided costs" means the incremental costs to a utility of electric energy, electric capacity, or both, that the utility would generate itself or purchase from another source, but for purchases to be made under these rules. A utility's avoided costs are the prices, terms and conditions, including the period of time and the power supply attributes, of the least cost final contract entered into as a result of the competitive bidding process described in these rules. If no final contract is entered into in response to a request for proposal (RFP) issued by a utility under these rules, the utility's avoided costs are the lesser of:

(a) The price, terms and conditions set forth in the least cost project proposal that meets the criteria specified in the RFP; or

(b) Current projected market prices for power with comparable terms and conditions.

"Commission" means the Washington utilities and transportation commission.

"Conservation" means any reduction in electric power consumption that results from increases in the efficiency of energy use, production or distribution, or from demand response, load management or efficiency measures that reduce peak capacity demand.

"Conservation supplier" means a third party supplier or utility affiliate that provides equipment or services that save capacity or energy.

"Generating facilities" means plant and other equipment used to generate electricity purchased through contracts entered into under these rules.

"Independent power producers" means an entity that owns generating facilities or portions thereof that are not included in a utility's rate base and that are not qualifying facilities as defined in this section.

"Integrated resource plan" or "IRP" means the filing made every two years by a utility in accordance with WAC 480-100-238 Integrated resource planning.

"Project developer" means an individual, association, corporation, or other legal entity that can enter into a power or conservation contract with the utility.

"Project proposal" means a project developer's document containing a description of a project and other information responsive to the requirements set forth in a request for proposal, also known as a bid.

"Qualifying facilities" means generating facilities that meet the criteria specified by the FERC in 18 C.F.R. Part 292 Subpart B.

"Request for proposals" or "RFPs" means the documents describing a utility's solicitation of bids for delivering electric capacity, energy, or capacity and energy, or conservation.

"Resource block" means the deficit of capacity and associated energy that the IRP shows for the near term.

"Subsidiary" means any company in which the utility owns directly or indirectly five percent or more of the voting securities, and that may enter a power or conservation contract with that electric utility. A company is not a subsidiary if the utility can demonstrate that it does not control that company.

"Utility" means an electrical company as defined by RCW 80.04.010.