PENNICHUCK WATER WORKS, INC.
ORDER No. 25, 957
DW 16-806
New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission
October 25, 2016
Petition
for Permanent and Temporary Rate Increases and Modifications
in Ratemaking Methodology
Order
Suspending Proposed Tariffs and Establishing a Prehearing
Conference
Martin
P. Honigberg, Chairman
On
August 17, 2016, Pennichuck Water Works, Inc.
("PWW" or the "Company"), filed a notice
of intent to file rate schedules. PWW is a New Hampshire
corporation and regulated water utility that provides service
to approximately 28, 000 customers in a number of
municipalities in Southern New Hampshire including the City
of Nashua, and the Towns of Amherst, Bedford, Derry, Epping,
Hollis, Merrimack, Milford, Newmarket, Newton, Plaistow, and
Salem. PWW is owned by Pennichuck Corporation, which in turn
is wholly owned by the City of Nashua.
On
September 26, 2016, PWW filed with the Commission a petition
for a permanent rate increase pursuant to RSA 378:3 and
378:27-28, and for temporary rates pursuant to RSA 378:27.
PWW also seeks certain modifications to the ratemaking
structure agreed to in settlement and imposed in Joint
Petition of City of Nashua, Pennichuck Corporation, et al.,
Petition for Approval to Acquire Stock in Pennichuck
Corp., Order No. 25, 292 (November 23, 2011). PWW also
proposes to discontinue its current Water Infrastructure and
Conservation Adjustment (WICA) pilot program, and replace it
with annual step adjustments for all completed capital
improvements each year. The petition and subsequent docket
filings, other than any information for which confidential
treatment is requested of or granted by the Commission, will
be posted to the Commission's website at
http://www.puc.nh.gov/Regulatory/Docketbk/2016/16-806.html.
PWW
seeks an overall permanent increase in its water revenues of
$4, 907, 917. For a residential customer using 10, 300 cubic
feet of water per year, this represents a 14.02% increase in
monthly bills or $7.03 per month for the average residential
customer. The proposed revenue increase of $4, 907, 917 is
comprised of a calculated revenue...
