(1) This chapter establishes rules for:

(a) Determining the charges, terms and conditions governing the interconnection of customer-owned electric generating facilities with a nameplate generating capacity of no more than 20 megawatts (MW) to the electric system of an electrical company over which the commission has jurisdiction.

(b) Requiring each electrical company to file interconnection service tariffs for interconnection of some electric generating facilities to the electric system of an electrical company over which the commission has jurisdiction. The terms and conditions in such interconnection service tariffs must be either equivalent in all procedural and technical respects with the electrical company's interconnection service offered under its open access transmission tariff approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or they must be consistent with this chapter.

(2) These rules are intended:

(a) To be consistent with the requirements of chapter 80.60 RCW, Net metering of electricity;

(b) To comply with Section 1254 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-58 (2005) that amended section 111(d) of the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) relating to Net Metering (subsection 11) and Interconnection (subsection 15).

(3) This chapter governs the terms and conditions under which an interconnection customer's generating facility, including without limitation net-metered facilities, will interconnect with, and operate in parallel with, the electric system. This chapter does not govern the settlement, purchase or delivery of any power generated by an interconnection customer's net-metered or production-metered generating facility.

(4) This chapter does not govern interconnection of, or electrical company services to, PURPA qualifying facilities pursuant to chapter 480-107 WAC.

(5) This chapter does not govern standby generators designed and used only to provide power to the customer when electrical company service is interrupted and that operate in parallel with the electric system for less than 0.5 seconds both to and from emergency service.

(6) The specifications and requirements in these rules are intended to mitigate possible adverse impacts caused by a generating facility on electrical company equipment and personnel and on other customers of the electrical company. They are not intended to address protection of the interconnection customer's generating facility, facility personnel, or internal load. It is the responsibility of the interconnection customer to comply with the requirements of all appropriate standards, codes, statutes and authorities to protect its own facilities, personnel, and loads.