Alaska Administrative Code
Title 3 - Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
Part 7 - Regulatory Commission of Alaska
Chapter 52 - Operation of Public Utilities
Article 5 - Electric Utilities
3 AAC 52.455 - Line extensions and service connections
Current through February 27, 2024
(a) A utility's tariff for line extensions and service connections, or, if appropriate, special contracts under 3 AAC 48.390, must include the following:
(b) A line extension and service connection agreement requiring payment by a customer must be in writing; must include the utility's estimate of the customer's share of the costs, the terms and conditions of payment, and the estimated date of completion of the work; and must be signed by the utility and by the customer or the customer's authorized representative.
(c) If the actual costs of construction of a line extension or service connection exceed the written estimate provided by the utility, no charges in excess of the written estimate plus 10 percent may be collected by the utility from the customer unless the additional charges are the result of additional construction work requested or caused by the customer subsequent to the initial written estimate. Other than additional costs necessitated by the customer, actual costs in excess of 110 percent of the initial written estimate must be borne by the utility as a cost of doing business. If the actual costs of construction for the customer's share are less than the written estimate, the customer will be charged the lesser amount, and, if the costs are prepaid, the difference between the actual cost of the construction and the advance payment made by the customer must be refunded to the customer.
(d) Instead of estimating line extension and service connection costs, a utility may elect to amend its tariff to provide a charge for line extensions and service connections based upon historical, average unit installation costs. A utility shall apply to the commission for periodic adjustments to its tariffed unit installation charge. Unless otherwise ordered by the commission, an application for a periodic adjustment is not subject to the provisions of 3 AAC 48.275(a).
(e) No utility may prohibit customers from constructing their own line extensions or service connections. A utility shall connect and maintain customer-constructed facilities under the same terms and conditions as utility-installed line extensions or service connections, except that the utility has the right to
(f) A utility is responsible for energizing all customer-constructed line extensions or service connections after inspection and acceptance. The final inspection must be performed by the utility within five working days after receipt of notice of project completion from the customer. The energizing must be completed within five working days after inspection and acceptance by the utility or after a customer request for energizing, whichever is later.
(g) To assist those customers who construct their own line extensions or service connections, a utility shall aid in obtaining easements where none exist, and shall permit use of existing easements unless prohibited by law.
(h) To assure that all distribution plant of a utility is safely and adequately maintained on an equal basis, customer-installed plant must, upon acceptance by the utility, be given to the utility as a contribution-in-aid of construction.
(i) In those unusual circumstances where a utility believes that application of its line extension or service connection tariff will result in an inequitable apportionment of costs to one or more customers, the utility may request a waiver of its standard tariff provision and, upon proper application and advance approval of the commission, enter into a special contract with that customer under 3 AAC 48.390.
The 1984 revisions to AS 18.60.580 (sec. 1, ch. 34, SLA 1984) adopted the 1984 published edition of the National Electrical Code and the 1984 edition of the National Electrical Safety Code as the minimum electrical safety standards for the state, mentioned in 3 AAC 52.455(e) (1). Copies of these publications may be obtained from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 345 47th Street, New York, New York 10017.
Authority:AS 42.05.141
AS 42.05.151
AS 42.05.291
AS 42.05.311