BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF
PUBLIC UTILITIES
NOTICE OF HEARING
AND
AND INVITATION FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
NEWFOUNDLAND
& LABRADOR HYDRO
GENERAL RATE
REVIEW
On May 31, 2001 the Board of Commissioners of Public
Utilities (“Board”) received an application from Newfoundland and Labrador
Hydro (“Hydro”) requesting an Order of the Board pursuant to the Public
Utilities Act (“the Act”) for approval of rates to be charged to all customers
of Hydro and for approval of their 2002 capital budget. Details of the application are outlined in
Schedule A below.
All customers of
Hydro, which include customers of Newfoundland Power Inc. (“NF Power”), Hydro’s
Island Industrial Customers and Hydro’s Rural Customers, may be affected by the
outcome of this application.
HOW TO SEE THE
APPLICATION:
Copies of the
application and documentation filed to date are available as follows:
i)
on the Board’s website at www.pub.nf.ca;
ii) by telephoning the
Board Secretary at (709) 726-8600 or 1-866-782-0006;
iii) at Hydro’s regional
offices throughout the Province.
StART
DATE OF THE Public Hearing:
Notice of the application
and the pre-hearing conference was published in newspapers throughout the
province beginning June 18, 2001. The
pre-hearing conference was held on July 5, 2001, following which intervenors
were identified and hearing procedures and dates set.
Registered
intervenors are: NF Power, Hydro’s
Industrial Customers, The Consumer Advocate, The Town of Labrador City and The
Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
The public hearing of
Hydro’s application will take place at the Board’s Hearing Room, Prince Charles
Building, 120 Torbay Road, St. John’s, beginning 9:30 A.M. on Monday, September
24, 2001.
Persons are welcome to
attend and observe the hearing.
As part of the hearing, Public Participation Days will be held in various locations to provide an opportunity for interested persons or organizations throughout the province to express their views to the Board. The following dates, times and locations have been set:
DATE TIME LOCATION
October 15, 2001 9:30
A.M. St.
Anthony at the Vinland Hotel
October 16,
2001 2:00
P.M. Wabush
at the Wabush Hotel
October 17,
2001 9:30
A.M. Wabush
at the Wabush Hotel
October 18, 2001 9:30 A.M. Goose Bay at the
Labrador Inn
October 19, 2001 9:30
A.M. Goose
Bay at the Labrador Inn
October 22, 2001 9:30
A.M. Stephenville
at the Holiday Inn
October 23, 2001 9:30
A.M. Grand
Falls at the Mount Peyton Hotel
October 25 & 26, 2001 9:30 A.M. St.
John’s at the Board’s Hearing Room
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
IN THE HEARING:
Persons or organizations
interested in making an Oral Presentation during public participation
days must write the Board outlining their interest in the proceeding, along
with their address and telephone number. Oral Presentation requests must
be made on or before September 28, 2001 and should be addressed to the Board
Secretary, who will subsequently contact the parties.
Any person or organization
not wishing to make an oral presentation during public participation days, but
who still wish to make their views known, may do so by submitting a Letter
of Comment.
The Letter of Comment
must clearly state the person’s or organization’s interest in the proceeding,
together with their comments and other relevant documentation. All Letters of
Comment will be accepted until the closing day of the hearing and should be
addressed to the Board Secretary.
For further information or clarification of the
Board’s procedures, please contact the Board Secretary. Copies of the Board’s legislation and
regulations are available for viewing on the Board’s website at www.pub.nf.ca or at the Board’s office.
The Board Secretary may be contacted as follows:
Office: Suite
E210, Prince Charles Building, 120 Torbay Road, St. John’s
By mail: P.O.
Box 21040, St. John’s, NF, A1A 5B2
By telephone: 709-726-8600
By facsimile: 709-726-9604
By e-mail: ito@pub.nf.ca.
Dated at St.
John=s, Newfoundland, this 4th day of September
2001.
Cheryl Blundon
Board Secretary
SCHEDULE A - APPLICATION
Hydro is requesting an Order of the Board relating to
the following:
(1)
Fixing and determining the 2002 rate base of Hydro at $1,370,471,000;
(2)
Determining a just and reasonable rate of return for 2002 on average
rate base at 7.4%;
(3)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the rate of 48.0 mills/kWh
to be charged NF Power;
(4)
Increasing the Rate Stabilization Plan (“RSP”) cap for NF Power to $100
million;
(5)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the rate of $7.01 per kW
per month demand charge and an energy charge of 23.09 mills per kWh to be
charged Island Industrial Customers for firm power and energy, plus the annual
specifically assigned charge as follows:
Abitibi-Consolidated
Inc. (Grand Falls) $107,549
Abitibi-Consolidated
Inc. (Stephenville) 83,691
Corner Brook Pulp and
Paper Limited 73,444
North Atlantic Refining
Limited 154,097
(6)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the rate for non-firm
service to Industrial Customers;
(7)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the rate of 6.95 mills per
kWh as a wheeling fee to be charged Abitibi-Consolidated Inc.;
(8)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the firming up charge of
8.76 mills per kWh for secondary energy supplied by Corner Brook Pulp and Paper
Limited to Hydro and delivered as firm power and energy to NF Power;
(9)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the continuation of the
existing policy for setting rates charged Island Interconnected Rural and
L’Anse au Loup System Customers;
(10)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the continuation of the
existing policy for setting the rates charged Isolated Rural System Customers,
with the exception of Government Departments and Agencies;
(11)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the rates for Government
Departments and Agencies;
(12)
Approving the rates for street and area lighting in Rural Isolated and
Rural Interconnected Systems;
(13)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the rates for Labrador
Interconnected System Customers;
(14)
Approving, pursuant to Section 70 of the Act, the Rules and Regulations
applicable to providing service to Rural Customers;
(15)
Approving, pursuant to Section 71 of the Act, the contracts with Industrial
Customers;
(16)
Approving, pursuant to Section 41 (3) (a) of the Act, the construction
or purchase of improvements of
$48,037,000 as set out in Section A of the 2002 Capital Budget
Application;
(17)
Approving, pursuant to Section 41 (3) (b) of the Act, the leases for
2002 of $ 1,795,564 as set out in Section D of the 2002 Capital Budget
Application;
(18)
Approving the changes proposed in Hydro’s depreciation policies;
(19)
Determining the disposition of the Wabush surplus;
(20)
Consolidating this Application with the Application related to
Industrial Rates in which Order No. P.U. 25 (2000-2001) was issued; and
(21)
Granting such alternative, additional or further relief as the Board
shall consider fit and proper in the circumstances.
G. Cheryl Blundon,
Board Secretary.