More than 1.2 million Washington natural gas customers, including 72,000 in Southwest Washington, will see an increase in their natural gas costs effective Friday, Nov. 1.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on Thursday approved increases for the state’s four natural gas utility companies including Northwest Natural Gas Co., which won a 1.5 percent increase. The state agency said that an average Northwest Natural customer using 56 therms will see an increase of $.91 a month, for a total of $60.
Northwest Natural serves about 72,000 residential and commercial customers in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties.
Natural gas companies in Washington are required to file a cost adjustment request every 15 months. The state commission adjusts rates for the constantly changing cost of natural gas in the wholesale market. The total cost of gas is passed through to customers, which means that the company does not earn a return on, or lose any money on, wholesale gas costs, the commission said in a news release.
About half of Washington’s natural gas supplies from the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and the other half from Rocky Mountain production sites such as Wyoming.
