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October 2, 2014

PUC staff questions natural gas proposal

A staff report from the Maine Public Utilities Commission has questioned a proposal to charge a new electricity fee for consumers in order to expand natural gas pipeline capacity.

According to the Bangor Daily News, the new report from PUC staff issued Wednesday said "it is unlikely that the benefits to Maine consumers will exceed the costs of pipeline capacity … unless the cost of pipeline capacity is very low."

PUC staff said it would like to see a cost-benefit analysis of each individual proposal from natural gas firms — including from Spectra Energy and Kinder Morgan, both based in Houston — to see if a pipeline expansion would help reduce prices for natural gas or electricity. The PUC's capacity to purchase natural gas is only 200 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, with up to $75 million available every year.

 

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