LIBERTY UTILITIES (ENERGYNORTH NATURAL GAS) CORP. D/B/A LIBERTY UTILITIES - KEENE DIVISION
ORDER No. 25, 986
DG 16-812
New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission
February 7, 2017
2016-2017
Winter Period Cost of Gas Adjustment
Order
Scheduling Hearing and Requiring Modification of COG
Reconciliation Calculations
Martin
P. Honigberg Chairman.
In
this order, the Commission schedules a hearing regarding a
cost of gas ratemaking matter involving Liberty-Keene, and
requires modifications to the utility's cost of gas
reconciliation calculations.
In
Order No. 25, 960 (October 28, 2016), the Commission approved
cost of gas (COG) rates for the 2016-2017 winter period for
Liberty Utilities (EnergyNorth Natural Gas) Corp. d/b/a
Liberty Utilities - Keene Division (Liberty-Keene), a public
utility distributing propane air gas in Keene. The COG rates
were approved pursuant to the terms of Liberty-Keene's
COG Tariff and RSA Chapter 378. In its initial COG filing
Liberty-Keene included production costs from the 2015-2016
winter period and projected production costs for the
2016-2017 winter period and has included those costs in its
subsequent monthly projected over- or under-collection
reports.
On
December 22, 2016, Commission Staff filed a memorandum (Staff
Recommendation) raising certain accounting and operational
issues with Liberty-Keene. Specifically, Staff objected to
the inclusion of production costs in the COG and expressed
concerns that the production costs related to the
continuously staffed operation of Liberty-Keene's
propane-air mixing plant (Liberty-Keene Propane Plant) might
not be prudently incurred under the ratemaking standards of
RSA Chapter 378.
The
Staff Recommendation, and all subsequent docket filings,
other than any information for which confidential treatment
is requested of or granted by the Commission, are posted to
the Commission's website at
http://www.puc.nh.gov/Regulatory/Docketbk/2016/16-812.html.
Based
on the Staff Recommendation, the Commission has determined
that a hearing, pursuant to RSA Chapters 374 and 378, is...
