Spokane

Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities on Tuesday asked regulators in the states of Washington and Idaho to lower natural gas prices in their states by 8.1% and 6.7%, respectively, effective June 1. If approved, this would be the second gas price drop for Avista customers in the two states this year.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) will hold a series of public hearings in various parts of the state served by Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities to gain public input on Avista’s proposed general rate increases of $2.7 million for natural gas and $31.2 million for electricity utility customers, or 3% and 12.8%, respectively, the PUC said Friday.

Idaho regulators suspended pending electric and natural gas rate increases from Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities Thursday and announced a settlement had been reached on a second (electric) rate case involving Salt Lake City-based Rocky Mountain Power, a PacifiCorp utility. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) set Feb. 25 as the deadline for parties to intervene in the Avista case, and it scheduled hearings March 11 and 17 on the rate settlement for the PacifiCorp unit.

Citing increasing infrastructure, environmental and legal costs, Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities last Friday filed for retail natural gas and electric rate increases collectively totaling about $109 million in Washington state and Idaho. The utility seeks to have increases in Idaho effective by late August, and the rate hikes in Washington effective at the end of this year.

Spokane, WA-based Avista Corp. last Wednesday asked regulators in Idaho and Washington state to reduce the utility’s retail natural gas rates to reflect the recent decline in wholesale energy prices. Avista asked for Idaho and Washington reductions of 4.7% and 3%, respectively, effective later in January.

Saying wholesale gas prices have fallen considerably in the past two months, Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities Monday refiled its gas cost offset rate adjustment with Oregon regulators, seeking a 4.1% decrease effective Nov. 1 in place of an overall 2% increase it had originally sought last August.

Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities told the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that it was lowering its pending purchased gas cost adjustment (PGA) rate increase request from 14% to 4% for its 72,000 natural gas utility customers in the northern part of the state. In August Avista asked the PUC for the rate increase to cover its current and future wholesale costs of gas, effective Oct. 1 (see Daily GPI, Aug. 20). The revised request lowers Avista’s requested increase in annual revenues to $3.3 million from the original $11.6 million in its filing. The PUC said that its public comment period ends Monday (Sept. 23). Under the Idaho PUC PGA process, the utilities file annually to reflect changes in purchased gas costs. A portion of the PGA is a projection of what costs will be during the next year, but since the projections are never exact, the PGA is adjusted every 12 months to match projected and actual costs. For the average Avista gas customer using about 65 therms monthly, the lowered PGA increase would add about $3/month to bills.

Idaho regulators will seek comments from stakeholders and the general public over the first three weeks of September on Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities’ Aug. 18 request for an $11.6 million, or 14.2%, natural gas rate increase for its 72,000 Idaho customers to recover high wholesale costs of gas. It asked for the rate hike to be effective Oct. 1.

Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities said Monday it has filed with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for an $11.6 million, or 14.2%, natural gas rate increase for its 72,000 Idaho customers to recover high wholesale costs of gas. It asked for the rate hike to be effective Oct. 1.