Customer

Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities has asked the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to lower the efficiency rider it maintains on retail customer electric and natural gas utility bills in the northern part of the state. Avista is seeking a reduction in the gas efficiency rider that will reduce overall bills an average of 4.2%. This latest action is separate from two pending applications at the Idaho PUC to raise Avista gas and electric retail rates. The rider charges are used to fund about 30 different gas and electric efficiency programs. The utility estimates that last year the efficiency programs saved about 1.9 million therms of natural gas (85% of the utility’s goal) and 68,911 MWh of electricity (105% of its goal). Revenue collected from the riders can be used only for efficiency programs, Avista said.

While federal and state officials have rehashed and are still studying the details, the severe freeze and resulting natural gas customer shutoffs last February in the Southwest have left local distribution utilities to deal with rancor in communities in which both homes and businesses were affected. One small town, Bernalillo, NM, has sued its local utility.

While federal and state officials have rehashed and are still studying the details, the severe freeze and resulting natural gas customer shutoffs last February in the Southwest have left local distribution utilities to deal with rancor in communities in which both homes and businesses were affected. One small town, Bernalillo, NM, has sued its local utility.

Pacific Gas and Electric issued a customer-specific Stage 2 high-inventory OFO for Wednesday but is allowing it to expire Thursday.

A recently announced acquisition by California-based water handling company Heckmann Corp. is intended to expand the range of water and wastewater services available to producers in the Haynesville Shale in East Texas, and there are plans to take the business to other shale plays.

After belatedly declaring a customer-Specific Stage 2 high-inventory OFO for Tuesday on its California Gas Transmission system, Pacific Gas and Electric will expand the OFO to systemwide Wednesday. Penalties for exceeding a 5% tolerance on positive daily imbalances will be $1/Dth.

Stung by strong customer and community criticism, San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Tuesday announced a five-part, multi-year effort to greatly strengthen the safety and reliability of its natural gas transmission pipeline system. Called Pipeline 2020, the program will augment initiatives implemented by the combination utility in the wake of the Sept. 9 pipeline explosion and fire that killed seven people in San Bruno, CA.

El Paso canceled a warning Thursday of a possible Strained Operating Condition because of system drafting, saying customer response was sufficient to increase its linepack to acceptable levels.

Customer concerns have put a planned wood-fueled biomass power plant on hold in Traverse City, MI, prompting Traverse City Light & Power (L&P) to put natural gas at the top of its list to replace an old coal-fired power plant. “We’ve listened to many of our ratepayers tell us they don’t know enough about biomass and some have suggested they are more comfortable with natural gas as a power generation resource, even though natural gas is not a renewable energy,” said L&P Chairman Mike Coco. L&P said its previous goal of achieving 30% of its power from renewable sources by 2020 may fall by the wayside if a gas-fueled option is selected for the replacement power supplies.