Notice of Public Hearing October 4th – Hawaii Gas Rate Case (Docket No. 2024-0158)

Posted on Sep 16, 2024 in Important Events, Key Dockets, Main

The State of Hawaii Public Utilities Commission will hold a series of state-wide public hearings starting October 4 regarding Hawaii Gas’ application for rate increases and revised rate schedule and rules. All are invited to attend the public hearings and state their views on the application, which is described further below.

Public Hearing Information

Date & Time Island Location
October 4
5:00 p.m.		 Kauai In-person
Lihue State Office Building
Conference Room 209 A, B, & C
1680 Haleukana Street
Lihue, Hawaii 96766
TBD Molokai TBD
TBD Lanai TBD
TBD Maui TBD
TBD Oahu TBD
TBD Hawaii Island – Kona TBD
TBD Hawaii Island – Hilo TBD

Brief Summary of Application

Hawaii Gas is a public utility that provides gas service to approximately 36,000 customers on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. The Company’s operations include the purchase, production, transmission, distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers.

On July 26, 2024, Hawaii Gas filed an application, (“Application”), requesting Commission approval of a total revenue increase of $24.346 million, or approximately 17.67% increase over revenues at current effective rates. The Company further seeks approval of a fair rate of return of 9.05% on rate base, revisions to its rate schedules and rules, and approval of two tariff riders. Under its proposal, Hawaii Gas would recover upgrade costs to its bare and coated steel replacement programs through its Main Upgrade Program Rider. Incremental annual increases to the Company’s insurance premiums would be addressed by the Insurance Premium Recovery Rider.

According to Hawaii Gas, its operating costs have increased since its last rate increase in 2019 due to a number of factors, including but not limited to increases in operations and maintenance and labor expenses, compliance with federal/state regulations, and capital investments in plant and equipment for fuel diversification, system reliability and safety.

By island, Hawaii Gas’ proposed revenue changes are as follows:

ISLAND REVENUE CHANGE PERCENTAGE
Oahu $24,375,527 19.42%
Hawaii $ (36,067) -0.42%
Maui $ 69,936 3.03%
Kauai $ (62,723) -4.89%
Molokai $ 3,138 5.21%
Lanai $ (3,673) -13.23%

To view the full Application and all docketed documents, see the “DOCUMENTS” tab for Docket No. 2024-0158.

The Commission will investigate whether Hawaii Gas’ proposed rate increases are just and reasonable.

Public Comments and Statements

Comments may be submitted in writing or given orally during the hearing. All written comments will be publicly accessible on the PUC’s Case and Document Management System.

  • COMMENTS DURING THE HEARING:
    Persons wishing to give oral comments should register at the time of the hearing. Submission of written comments in addition to giving oral comments is highly encouraged.
  • WRITTEN COMMENTS:
    All written comments should reference Docket No. 2024-0158 and include the author’s name and the entity or organization that the author represents, if any. Submit written public comments via the following methods: 

MORE INFORMATION:

Notice of Public Hearing – Hawaii Gas Rate Case (Docket No. 2024-0158)