The Public Service Commission of West Virginia ruled Friday that Hope Gas, Inc., could convert customers to propane or electricity service contingent upon a ruling in a related case.
Hope also was ordered to conduct public meetings in locations convenient to affected customers in Barbour, Braxton, Clay, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Kanawha, Marion, Mason, Monongalia, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Taylor, Tyler, Upshur, Wetzel, Wirt and Wood counties and to provide advanced notice of those meetings.
On August 23, 2024, Hope asked to convert gas service of 479 farm tap customers and 150 others on third-party lines to alternative fuels because of the expense of serving them. Farm tap customers are served from gas gathering or transmission lines, instead of utility distribution lines.
“Given the high cost per customer of continuing natural gas service, Hope’s commitment to converting customers to an alternative fuel source is a prudent course of action that will significantly reduce the number of customers whose service may be abandoned,” the Commission said.
“Hope’s proposal to pay for conversion to propane and serve the converted customers by having customers to pay the same cost as a natural customer using a comparable amount of energy is a reasonable way to retain the customers as Hope customers,” it ruled.
The effect of this decision, however, was made contingent upon a later Commission ruling on Hope’s October 1, 2024, petition to abandon 1,068 miles of so-called “Red Lines” pipelines serving farm-tap customers. That evidentiary hearing was set for 9:30 a.m. May 14 and 15 at the PSC headquarters in Charleston.
More information on these cases can be found on the PSC’s website: www.psc.state.wv.us. Click on “Case Information” and access Case Numbers: 24-0704-G-P and 24-0789-G-PC.
Devoted to Braxton County, West Virginia