Commission begins processing Avista rate case

Parties seeking to intervene in the Avista Utilities rate case have until Nov. 13 to file at the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. Parties representing customer groups intervene for the purpose of presenting testimony and cross-examining witnesses.

Parties intervening as of today include the Idaho Conservation League, Clearwater Paper and the Idaho Forest Group.

Avista customers not representing customer groups will also be able to participate in the case by filing written comments and attending public workshops and testifying at formal hearings to be announced at a later date.

Avista, which serves 123,000 electric and 75,000 natural gas customers in North Idaho, is seeking an average 4.6 percent increase in electric rates and a 7.3 percent to natural gas rates effective April 1, 2013.

If the increases were granted in full, the bill of an average residential electric customer who uses 930 kilowatt-hours per month would increase by $4.20 to $82.89. The gas increase for a residential customer who uses an average 60 therms per month would increase by about $4.12 per month to about $56.67.

The company seeks to increase its annual revenue by $11.4 million on the electric side and $4.6 million on the gas side.

Avista claims the increases are necessary to expand and replace its aging utility infrastructure and meet its legal obligation to reliably serve customers.