Decision on Massachusetts Gas

RNS Number : 5236V

National Grid PLC

03 November 2010

 



03 November 2010

National Grid plc

Decision on Massachusetts Gas rate case

On 2 November 2010, National Grid plc received approval from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities ("MADPU") of its request to increase distribution rates and implement certain other rate mechanisms for its gas distribution business in Massachusetts.  This business represents about 10% of National Grid's US operations.

The MADPU decision represents a significantstep forward for the Massachusetts gas operations in terms of securing adequate and timely recovery of costs incurred to serve customers on a safe and reliable basis.  The primary cost-recovery improvements are:

·     Approval of an increase in revenues of $58 million.  As part of the revenue requirement, the MADPU approved a return on common equity of 9.75 percent, as well as a common equity ratio of 50 percent.

·     Approval of a revenue decoupling mechanism for all customer classes, providing the opportunity to recover lost base revenue resulting from customer-driven energy efficiency and other conservation measures which are negatively affecting sales volumes.

·     Fully reconciling recovery (true-up) of non-controllable cost items such as pension and non-pension-related retirement benefits for National Grid employees and the commodity element of bad debts.

·     Approval of a capital investment tracker designed to provide annual recovery of capital costs incurred to replace aging cast iron and bare steel mains remaining in the Massachusetts distribution system.

·     Approval of consolidated base rates for the recently merged Boston Gas and Essex Gas operations, as well as for the combined Lowell and Cape Cod operating divisions of Colonial Gas Company, so that revenue recovery is streamlined from four sets of base rates to two sets. 

Although the MADPU decision reflects several adjustments to National Grid's initial proposals, the collective impact of the decision represents a positive step forward for National Grid's Massachusetts gas distribution operations.

CONTACTS

National Grid:

Investors                                                                                                                                                                    

David Rees	[phone]	[phone] (m)
George Laskaris	[phone]	[phone] (m)
Andy Mead	[phone]	[phone] (m)
Michael Smart	[phone]	[phone] (m)
Iwan Hughes	[phone]	[phone] (m)

Media                                                                                                                                                                          

Chris Mostyn	[phone]	[phone] (m)
Deborah Taylor	[phone]	[phone] (m)

Brunswick Tom Burns Tom Batchelar

[phone]

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

 This announcement contains certain statements that are neither reported financial results nor other historical information. These statements are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include information with respect to National Grid's financial condition, its results of operations and businesses, strategy, plans and objectives. Words such as 'anticipates', 'expects', 'intends', 'plans', 'believes', 'seeks', 'estimates', 'targets', 'may', 'will', 'continue', 'project' and similar expressions, as well as statements in the future tense,  identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of National Grid's future performance and are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions, risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond National Grid's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as such as changes in laws or regulations and decisions by governmental bodies or regulators; breaches of, or changes in, environmental, climate change and health and safety laws or regulations; network failure or interruption, the inability to carry out critical non-network operations and damage to infrastructure; performance against regulatory targets and standards, including delivery of costs and efficiency savings; customers and counterparties failing to perform their obligations to National Grid; and unseasonable weather affecting energy demands. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in this announcement include fluctuations in exchange rates, interest rates, commodity price indices and settlement of hedging arrangements; restrictions in National Grid's borrowing and debt arrangements; changes to credit ratings of National Grid and its subsidiaries; adverse changes and volatility in the global credit markets; National Grid's ability to access capital markets and other sources of credit in a timely manner and other sources of credit on acceptable terms; deflation or inflation; the seasonality of National Grid's businesses; the future funding requirements of National Grid's pension schemes and other post-retirement benefit schemes, and the regulatory treatment of pension costs; the loss of key personnel or the inability to attract, train or retain qualified personnel; new or revised accounting standards, rules and interpretations, including changes of law and accounting standards that may affect National Grid's effective rate of tax; incorrect assumptions or conclusions underpinning business development activity, and any unforeseen significant liabilities or other unanticipated or unintended effects of such activities and the performance of National Grid's subsidiaries. In addition National Grid's reputation may be harmed if consumers of energy suffer a disruption to their supply. For a more detailed description of some of these assumptions, risks and uncertainties, together with any other risk factors, please see National Grid's filings with and submissions to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) (and in particular the Risk Factors and Operating and Financial Review sections in its most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F). The effects of these factors are difficult to predict. New factors emerge from time to time and National Grid cannot assess the potential impact of any such factor on its activities or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause its results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Except as may be required by law or regulation, National Grid undertakes no obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement. The contents of any website references herein do not form part of this announcement.

 

END

 

 

MSCGLBDBBDGBGGX