CUC officials met with PUC’s regulatory consultants last week for an “introductory discussion and orientation” about rate structuring.
CUC Executive Director Antonio Muna said it is too early to speculate if CPUC will come up with a higher rate compare to the current rate CUC is collecting from its consumers.
He said they already gave Harry Boertzel, PUC’s hearing examiner, and Jamshed Madan, Georgetown Consulting Group regulatory consultant, documents regarding the rate structure.
CUC deputy director for water and wastewater Bruce Megarr said they are looking forward to a collaborative effort that will come up with a “consistent, equitable and comprehensive rate structure that can provide necessary services at the lowest possible cost.”
But Megarr also cannot say whether CUC’s rates will increase or decrease rate, but he assured the “procedure will be open and the process transparent.”
“We have the same goal to provide utilities consistently at the least possible cost,” he told Variety.
PUC was given until Dec. 31, 2008 to adopt a rate structure as mandated by Public Law 16-23.
Based on CUC’s schedule of electric charges and rates for October, a residential customer pays $5.60 in fixed monthly customer charges — $0.353 per kilowatt hour for the first 500 kwh; $0.403 for 501 to 1,000 kwh; $0.423 for 1,000 to 2,000 kwh; and $0.464 for each kwh after 2,000 and over.
Commercial customers pay $7.67 in fixed monthly charge plus $0.0423 per kwh.
The government pays $7.67 on top of $0.428 per kwh.
Customers with non-conforming load pay $56 and $0.559 per kwh.
Muna said he cannot say if CUC’s projected revenues will be affected until PUC adopts a new rate structure.
He said he expects PUC to make an assessment and arrive at a rate structure comparable to CUC’s request, which he did not disclose.
