MORGANTOWN – Hope Gas now has two rate-hike cases pending before the Public Service Commission.
The company recently filed its annual Pipeline and Expansion Program – PREP – application. Customers would see a roughly $2 monthly increase in their bills, according to the filing with the PSC.
This case is in addition to its base rate case filed in early May. In that case, residential customers would see an impact varying based on whether the customer was already served by Hope or by one of the six companies it acquired in 2023 and 2024. The proposed monthly rate increase would range from $21.10 to $33.74.
Hope’s proposed new PREP rate increases would also vary, as Hope works to get all of its existing and new customers on the same rate schedule. Pending PSC approval, the new PREP rates would replace existing rates effective Oct. 31.
PREP program charges are authorized in state code for “cost recovery of projects to replace, upgrade, and expand natural gas utility infrastructure that are deemed to be just and reasonable and in the public interest.”
Hope’s PREP rates cover two programs: its General Program for its core distribution system and its Gathering Program for gathering facilities.
Hope is projecting total annual investment in both programs of $115,537,752 for this year and for 2026. The proposal also contains a “true-up for actual 2024 investments. For that year, the General Program was estimated at $64,037,752, while the actual spending was $67,446,059.
For the Gathering Program, projected investment was $2,500,000, while actual investment was less, at $1,649,066.
Here are the proposed PREP rate increases: existing Hope customers, $2.06 (2.4%); former Peoples Gas, $2.03 (2.58%); former Southern Public Service Company, $1.62 (2.92%); former Standard/Bazzle Gas, $1.80 ( 2.6%); former Consumers Gas, $1.70 (2.45%).
Hope points out that the figures are based on averages of all customers in the class, actual increases may vary.
In the latest development in this case, Diversified Gas & Oil applied on Thursday with the PSC to intervene. Interested parties and stakeholders typically intervene in rate cases, and in its application it noted that Hope transports gas produced by Diversified on its pipelines. “Diversified production entities are among the larger gas producers served by portions of Hope’s gathering and transportation system.”
In Hope’s separate base rate case, the PSC had 300 days from the date of filing to review the request and Hope projects the effective date for the new base rates will be Feb. 25, 2026.
