Notice of Utility Tariff Filing

The REGULATORY COMMISSION OF ALASKA (Commission) gives notice that ENSTAR Natural Gas Company (ENSTAR) filed TA318-4, its annual revision to fees and allowances for installing new service connections, meters, and main line extensions. The new fees and allowances will be effective for calendar year 2021. ENSTAR also proposes to change its methodology to no longer update its Service Line Installation Fee and Meter Installation Charge annually. ENSTAR states that these fees and charges will remain in effect until it determines an adjustment is necessary.

Service Line Installation Fee

ENSTAR proposes to decrease its Service Line Installation Fee for piping less than two inches from $688 per service line to $500 per service line.

Meter Installation Charges

The current and proposed rates are as follows:

Standard Construction Cost

ENSTAR proposes to decrease its Standard Construction Cost for the installed price of two-inch plastic main from $23.52 per foot to $19.03 per foot. ENSTAR also proposes to change its methodology by removing all allocated overhead costs for the five years used in calculating this fee. ENSTAR states that removing these costs will remove some of the costs’ volatility.

Standard Load Allowances

ENSTAR proposes revisions to the Average Load per Customer for the year 2021 to reflect a nine-year average. ENSTAR states that data to compute a ten-year average is not available as Order U-09-069(10) approved ENSTAR’s restructuring of rate classes. ENSTAR states that it will continue adding historical data into the average load calculation until a ten-year average is achieved. The ten-year average will comply with the methodology that was used to calculate average loads in filings prior to the U-09-069 restructuring of rate classes. The current and proposed Standard Load Allowances are shown below. 

With TA318-4, ENSTAR requests that all of the Standard Construction Costs and the Service Line Installation Fees that it proposes to decrease in this filing be retroactive to January 1, 2020. ENSTAR also proposes that any customer that has paid a 2020 fee that differs from those it proposes in TA318-4 will receive a cash or credit refund within 60 days of the filing being approved.

This notice does not contain all requested revisions and the Commission may approve a rate or classification which varies from that proposed. You may obtain more information about this filing by contacting Chelsea Guintu, Supervisor of Rates and Regulatory Affairs for ENSTAR, at P. O. Box 190288, Anchorage, AK 99519-0288; phone: (907) 277-5551. The complete filing is also available for inspection at the Commission's office at 701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300, Anchorage, AK 99501; phone: (907) 276-6222, or may be viewed at the Commission’s website at http://rca.alaska.gov by typing TA318-4 in the Find a Matter search box.

To comment on this filing, please file your comments by 5:00 p.m., May 29, 2020, at the Commission address given above or via our website at:

https://rca.alaska.gov/RCAWeb/WhatsNew/PublicNoticesComments.aspx

Please reference TA318-4 and include a statement that you have filed a copy of the comments with ENSTAR at its address given above. Individuals or groups of people with disabilities, who require special accommodations, auxiliary aids or service, or alternative communication formats, please contact Valerie Fletcher-Mitchell at (907) 276-6222, toll-free at 1-800-390-2782, or TTY/Alaska Relay: 7-1-1 or 1-800-770-8937, or send a request via electronic mail to rca.mail@alaska.gov by May 22, 2020.

DATED at Anchorage, Alaska, this 29^th day of April, 2020.

REGULATORY COMMISSION OF ALASKA

Becki Alvey

Tariff Section Manager