Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) has asked FERC to extend the waivers andlimited jurisdiction blanket certificate that were approved a yearago on a limited basis to help carry out the utility’s retail gasunbundling program in Georgia.

AGL said it is seeking an extension of the authorizations inadvance of their expiration date, which is July 31 , “because ithas a pressing need for regulatory certainty and an orderlycontinuation of its unbundling in the short term. Plans [already]are underway in Georgia to transfer all merchant activities to themarketers this fall. At the same time, storage activities aremoving forward in preparation for next winter. [AGL] and thecertificated marketers…need to know how Atlanta’s upstreamstorage capacity will be allocated in the future.”

Specifically, the Atlanta, GA-based utility asked for anextension of a waiver of FERC regulations that would enable it tomake consecutive monthly prearranged releases to marketers of Part284 capacity obtained under a discounted transportation arrangementwith Southern Natural Gas, and to pass through to marketers thebenefits of other discount and negotiated deals that it may enterinto in the future. It also wants the Commission to continue thewaiver for AGL of its “shipper-must-have-title” policy so it canallocate certain interstate capacity to marketers under itsIncremental Bundled Storage Service (IBSS).

AGL urged FERC to continue the authorizations “until the earlierof March 31, 2003, or the time that the affected interstateservices either expire, are made directly assignable, or [are]converted to Part 284 service, whichever occurs sooner.” Theextended authorizations being sought will continue to be “limitedin scope and will apply only to a small fraction of Atlanta’sinterstate capacity arrangements,” it said.

The utility said it would go along with extending the waiversand limited jurisdiction blanket certificate for 18 months – fromNov. 1, 1999 to March 31, 2001 – if that’s the only way to obtain”favorable and prompt Commission action.”

Retail unbundling in Georgia has “progressed much faster” thananyone expected or predicted partly due to FERC’s “willingness toapply its regulations and policies flexibly,” according to AGL.Currently nearly 60% of AGL’s firm customers (over 852,000 overall)have selected a certificated marketer. The utility is expected tobecome fully unbundled by Oct. 1.

©Copyright 1999 Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. Thepreceding news report may not be republished or redistributed, inwhole or in part, in any form, without prior written consent ofIntelligence Press, Inc.