dbeard@dominionpost.com
MORGANTOWN – Cardinal Natural Gas customers in Monongalia, Preston, Marion and Harrison counties will see a decrease in their base gas-usage rates, based on a settlement approved by the Public Service Commission this week.
Cardinal has two divisions, northern (Preston, Marion, Harrison and Monongalia) and southern (Mercer). The northern division has two territories:Lumberport-Shinnston and Blacksville.
The northern division will see an overall base-rate decrease of 3.69%, with uniform rates for both territories.
The Lumberport residential base rate will fall from $5.742 per thousand cubic feet (mcf) to $5.295 per mcf – a 7.78% decrease. The Blacksville residential base rate will stay the same at $5.295 per mcf, to provide a uniform rate across the division.
The gas bills include three other elements: a customer charge (no consumption included), a Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA) to cover Cardinal’s costs for buying the gas, and an Infrastructure Replacement and Expansion Program (IREP) charge.
Lumberport’s residential customer charge will rise from $8 to $8.50. The PGA will fall from $9.93 per mcf to $9.708, a 2.23% cut. And the IREP charge of 26.5 cents per mcf will be eliminated, as the program was completed in August 2022.
Blacksville’s residential customer charge will remain the same, at $8.50. The PGA will rise to match Lumberport’s, from $6.465 per mcf to $9.708, a 50.17% increase. Blacksville did not have an IREP program.
These rates will take effect Jan. 21, 2025.
The southern division will see an overall average base-rate hike of 4.17%.
Tje residential base rate will rise from $5.454 to $8.622 for the first 10 mcf (a 58.07% hike) and from $4.352 to $8.621 for more than 10 mcf (a 70.26% hike). The customer charge will rise from $10.08 to $11.08. The PGA will remain the same, at $6.603 per mcf. The IREP will fall from $5.111 per mcf to $2.285, a 55.29% decrease.
