BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA
NOTICE OF APPLICATION OF SOUTHWEST GAS CORPORATION FOR DEFERRED ENERGY ACCOUNTING ADJUSTMENT
AND NOTICE OF PREHEARING CONFERENCE
On November 15, 2024, Southwest Gas Corporation (“SWG”) filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (“Commission”) its Annual Rate Adjustment (“ARA”) Application (also known as an “Application for Deferred Energy Accounting Adjustment”), designated as Docket No. 24-11005, for authority to establish: (1) the Accumulated Deferred Interest (“ADI”) rate in Southern Nevada pursuant to the Variable Interest Expense Recovery (“VIER”) mechanism; (2) Unrecovered Gas Cost Expense (“UGCE”) rates; (3) system shrinkage rates for transportation customers; (4) Imbalance Commodity and Reservation Charges used to calculate transportation customer excess imbalance charges; (5) Renewable Energy Program Rates (“REPR”); (6) General Revenues Adjustment (“GRA”) rates; (7) Conservation and Energy Efficiency (“CEE”) rates; (8) Mesquite Infrastructure Expansion rates (“IERs”); (9) Spring Creek IERs; (10) Contract Transition Adjustment Provision (CTAP) rates; and (11) the Southwest Gas Transmission Company (“SGTC”) Volumetric Charge.
This Notice serves only to notify the public that the Commission has received the above-referenced filing. It is the responsibility of interested persons to review the filing and monitor the proceedings to determine their desired levels of involvement based on how this matter may affect their unique situations. The details provided within this Notice are for informational purposes only and are not meant to be an all-inclusive overview of the filing. The Commission may consider and adopt alternative proposals not contained within the filing but which are related to the subject matter of the filing and supported by evidence.
SWG filed the Application pursuant to the Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”) and the Nevada Administrative Code (“NAC”) Chapters 703 and 704, including, but not limited to, NRS 704.110 and NAC 701B.245, 703.535, 704.116, and 704.953 through 704.9718.
In its Application, SWG further seeks an order: (i) finding that its gas procurement practices are reasonable; (ii) finding that its gas purchases were reasonable and prudent; and (iii) finding that, during the applicable test period, the transportation costs it first incurred and its management and performance of its previously contracted resources were both reasonable and prudent; and iv) establishing July 1, 2025, as the effective date for the requested rate adjustments.
SWG is seeking to implement an average variable interest rate (“AVIR”) of $0.00057. SWG is proposing a change to the ADI rate of $0.01477 per therm in Southern Nevada, as it relates to the VIER mechanism.
SWG proposes a $0.02852 per therm UGCE rate in Southern Nevada and a $0.01387 per therm UGCE rate in Northern Nevada.
SWG proposes a shrinkage rate of $0.00005 per therm for high pressure service transportation customers in Southern Nevada and a shrinkage rate of $0.00143 per therm for low pressure service transportation customers in Southern Nevada. In Northern Nevada, SWG proposes a shrinkage rate of $0.00111 per therm.
In Southern Nevada, SWG proposes Imbalance Commodity and Reservation Charges of $0.36084 and $0.04361 per therm, respectively. In Northern Nevada, SWG proposes Imbalance Commodity and Reservation Charges of $0.36867 and $0.36674 per therm, respectively.
SWG is not proposing any changes to the REPR in this instant docket. Consistent with the Commission’s Order in 22-11017, SWG states that it has updated its Northern and Southern Statement of Rate to reflect a REPR of $0.00000 effective as of January 1, 2024.
In Southern Nevada, SWG proposes: (1) a single-family residential GRA rate of $0.05168 per therm; (2) a multi-family residential GRA rate of $0.01849 per therm; (3) a General Gas Service – 1 GRA rate of ($0.10398) per therm; (4) a General Gas Service – 2 GRA rate of ($0.01558) per therm; (5) a General Gas Service – 3 GRA rate of ($0.02002) per therm; and (6) a General Gas Service – 4 GRA rate of ($0.01631) per therm.
In Northern Nevada, SWG proposes: (1) a single-family residential GRA rate of $0.01096 per therm; (2) a multi-family residential GRA rate of ($0.01183) per therm; (3) a General Gas Service – 1 GRA rate of $0.03162 per therm; (4) a General Gas Service – 2 GRA rate credit of $0.01230 per therm; (5) a General Gas Service – 3 GRA rate of $0.04749 per therm; and (6) a General Gas Service – 4 GRA rate of $0.00560 per therm.
In Southern Nevada, SWG proposes a CEE rate of $0.00399 per therm for sales customers. In Northern Nevada, SWG proposes a CEE rate of $0.00443 per therm for sales customers.
SWG proposes a Southern Nevada IER rate of ($0.00267) and a Mesquite Expansion Area IER of ($0.02255).
SWG is not proposing any changes to the Spring Creek IERs in this ARA Application, but notes that it may seek to change the Spring Creek IERs in future ARA applications.
SWG proposes a CTAP rate of $0.00082 per therm in Southern Nevada.
SWG proposes to implement a SGTC Volumetric Charge of $0.014847 per therm throughout Period I, and a SGTC Volumetric Charge of $0.001283 per therm for Period II applicable to all Southern Nevada transportations customers’ scheduled quantities that flow through SGTC. Any SGTC Volumetric Charges that are collected from Southern Nevada transportation customers would be credited to the Southern Nevada rate jurisdiction Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Account 191 – Unrecovered Purchased Gas Costs.
SWG states that the overall effect of the proposed rate changes is an increase in annualized revenues of $21,513,446 or 3.44 percent in Southern Nevada and an increase in annualized revenues of $5,546,882 or 4.08 percent in Northern Nevada. Under SWG’s proposal, SWG states that the customer bill impacts are as follows:
Southern Nevada Rate Jurisdiction Annual Average Monthly Bills
Under Current Rates | Under Proposed Rates | Change | |
Single-Family Residential | $58.54 | $61.59 | $3.05 |
Multi-Family Residential | $34.98 | $36.20 | $1.22 |
General Service – 1 | $129.36 | $131.82 | $2.46 |
General Service – 2 | $1,087.45 | $1,128.29 | $40.84 |
General Service – 3 | $5,178.42 | $5,399.39 | $220.97 |
General Service – 4 | $48,226.60 | $47,346.46 | ($880.14) |
Northern Nevada Rate Jurisdiction Annual Average Monthly Bills
Under Current Rates | Under Proposed Rates | Change | |
Single-Family Residential | $83.98 | $87.75 | $3.77 |
Multi-Family Residential | $51.84 | $53.46 | $1.62 |
General Service – 1 | $151.65 | $160.06 | $8.41 |
General Service – 2 | $1,289.11 | $1,332.74 | $43.63 |
General Service – 3 | $7,233.33 | $7,414.51 | $181.18 |
General Service – 4 | $45,758.89 | $46,379.34 | $620.45 |
Interested and affected persons may file petitions for leave to intervene pursuant to NAC 703.578 through 703.600 at either of the Commission’s offices on or before WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2024.
A person who wishes to participate as a commenter may file written comments pursuant to NAC 703.491. A commenter is not a party of record and shall not take any action that only a party of record may take. Pursuant to NAC 703.500, only parties of record are entitled to enter an appearance, introduce relevant evidence, examine and cross-examine witnesses, make arguments, make and argue motions and generally participate in the proceeding.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant to NAC 703.655, the Commission has scheduled a PREHEARING CONFERENCE in this Docket to be held as follows:
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2024
10:00 A.M.
Hearing Room A
Public Utilities Commission of Nevada
1150 East William Street
Carson City, Nevada 89701
VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE TO
Hearing Room A
Public Utilities Commission of Nevada
9075 West Diablo Drive, Suite 250
Las Vegas, Nevada 89148
And VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS
The Parties will appear and otherwise participate in the prehearing conference either in person or remotely via Microsoft Teams. The Parties should provide the email address, title/role in associated business or organization, and business address for each person who intends to participate via Microsoft Teams to Administrative Attorney James Newcomb at jnewcomb@puc. nv.gov no later than WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
Members of the public may view the prehearing conference in person at either of the Commission’s offices or can access the prehearing conference at the time noticed herein via the Commission’s live stream link on its website at https://puc.nv.gov.
The purpose of the prehearing conference is to formulate and simplify issues involved in this proceeding and to set a hearing and procedural schedule. At the prehearing conference, the Commission may also take any action authorized by NAC 703.655.
The Commission is not responsible for providing clerical or administrative assistance or materials to parties during Commission proceedings. If such assistance is necessary, parties must make other arrangements for this type of assistance.
The Application is available for public viewing at the Commission’s website: http://puc.nv.gov; and at the offices of the Commission: 1150 East William Street, Carson City, Nevada 89701 and 9075 West Diablo Drive, Suite 250, Las Vegas, Nevada 89148. A person must request in writing to be placed on the service list for this proceeding in order to receive any further notices in this matter.
By the Commission,
____________________________________
TRISHA OSBORNE,
Assistant Commission Secretary
Dated: Carson City, Nevada
11/25/24
(SEAL)
Pub Date: December 4, 2024
Ad # 48081