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Hearing Examiner Recommend Commission Approve Gas Utility’s CGF Rates
A Hearing Examiner at the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) filed an Examiner’s Report recommending approval of revised calculations submitted by Unitil’s revised calculations and tariff filing.
Excerpt from Hearing Examiners Report:
“Based upon the revised calculations and costs presented in” Unitil’s 10/3/25 update and 10/15/25 tariff filing, the Hearing Examiner recommends MEPUC: (1) approve Unitil’s proposed: (i) Winter 2025-2026 CGF rates; (ii) Residential Low-Income Program rate of $0.0017/therm; (iii) revised Re-entry rate of $0.0389/therm; and (iv) Conversion rates of $0.4286/therm for low load-factor C&I customers and $0.5089/therm for high load-factor C&I customer; (2) direct OPA and Unitil “to meet outside of the company’s cost of gas factor proceedings to discuss the development of metrics and benchmarks to use to evaluate the gas supply and planning process”; and (3) require Unitil “to provide the metrics that it proposes to put in place for the Winter 2027 – 2028 period as developed in conversation with the OPA in its next summer cost of gas factor filing.”
On October 21, 2025, parties filed exceptions to Examiner’s report. Notably OPA took exception to the Hearing Examiner’s recommendation that MEPUC: (1) not require Unitil “to establish a new demand-side program at this time”; and (2) find that Unitil’s “offering an interruptible supply service is the extent of its ability to leverage this tool as part of its portfolio of options.”
2025-00248
(Proceeding to consider 2025 winter cost of gas factor (CGF) filings by Unitil.)
