Refers to embedded (unchangeable) costs that drive the cost of delivering energy to the customer above the actual market value of that energy. These costs may be incurred as a result of a regulatory or contractual obligation. ECEMPs differ from stranded costs in that an ECEMP either has a cash value on the open market or can be recovered by the utility over time. When an embedded cost exceeds what the utility can reasonably expect to recover, it becomes a stranded cost.

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