Nevada PUC schedules consumer sessions on Southwest Gas Corporation natural gas expansion plan
The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) recently scheduled two consumer sessions to hear comments from consumers about a natural gas expansion proposed by Southwest Gas Corporation to expand its service territory into the Mesquite area.
The sessions are scheduled for Feb. 28 in Mesquite and Las Vegas. Members of the PUCN, representatives from Nevada Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP) and representatives from Southwest Gas will attend the sessions. Commissioner Bruce Breslow will preside over the sessions.
The proposed $30 million expansion will serve an estimated 781 residential and commercial customers during its first five years of operation.
Southwest Gas is seeking to recover project costs through two special rates, one which affects all Southwest Gas customers and one which applies only to those served by the expansion.
The generally applicable rate would increase the bill for a typical single-family residential bill in Southern Nevada by approximately 24 cents. Southwest Gas proposed that the new rate must be applied when it initiates temporary service in Mesquite and be adjusted yearly to reflect actual costs.
Southwest Gas proposed that the rate that would apply only to the Mesquite area, the Mesquite Area Expansion Charge (MAEC), be set at $23.80 per month. The company estimated that it would be in effect for 15 years.
