The Public Utilities Board (Board) approved the application of Centra Gas Manitoba Inc. (Centra) to increase the current Primary Gas rate from $0.0932/m3 to $0.1081/m3 effective November 1, 2020. Primary Gas is sold on a cost recovery basis without markup by Centra to Manitoba customers.
The new rate is projected to increase the bill for a typical residential customer by approximately 5.6% or $31/year. Primary Gas rates will be reviewed again February 1, 2021.
At the 2019/20 General Rate Application, the Board approved temporary rate riders to refund the balances in gas cost deferral accounts to customers. The Small General Service class (includes residential customers) also received a refund of the surplus in the Furnace Replacement Program fund. These temporary refund riders are in place from November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020.
The new rate and the removal of the rate riders is projected to increase the bill for a typical residential customer by approximately 22% (or $122/year). Other customer classes also experience bill increases due to the Primary Gas rate increase and the removal of the rate riders.
Primary Gas rates for customers that have signed fixed-term fixed-price contracts, with either Centra or a private broker, are not affected.
The Board is an impartial tribunal and regulator, at arm’s length from government, that acts in the public interest.
