PSE natural gas rates up 10%


October 7, 2008 · Updated 11:38 AM 

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Puget Sound Energy’s natural gas rates have risen about 10 percent as of Oct. 1 to reflect rising wholesale market prices, state regulators announced.

The Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) approved the company’s “Purchased Gas Adjustment” filing, or PGA, which tracks market prices in natural gas and adjusts rates periodically to reflect changes in those prices. Natural gas companies in Washington must file a PGA at least every 15 months.

Based on the PGA filed Aug. 28, the average bill for a typical PSE residential ratepayer using 68 therms will rise by 10.4 percent, or $8.49 a month, to $90.61.

The increase brings natural gas rates to about the same level PSE customers paid two years ago.

The PGA may go up or down reflecting the changing cost of gas in the wholesale market. Last year the UTC approved a 13 percent decrease in PSE’s natural-gas rates. Natural gas utilities in Washington are not allowed to earn a profit on gas-commodity increases.

This PGA request is separate from the utility’s general rate case, which the commission will decide later this year.

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