Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a)
QIP shall be related to one or more of the following:
1) The installation of facilities to retire and
replace underground natural gas facilities, including facilities appurtenant to
facilities constructed of those materials such as meters, regulators, and services,
and that are constructed of cast iron, wrought iron, ductile iron, unprotected
coated steel, unprotected bare steel, mechanically coupled steel, copper, Cellulose
Acetate Butyrate (CAB) plastic, pre-1973 DuPont Aldyl "A" polyethylene, PVC, or
other types of materials identified by a State or federal governmental agency as
being prone to leakage;
2) The
relocation of meters from inside customers' facilities to outside;
3) The upgrading of the gas distribution system
from a low pressure to a medium pressure system, including installation of
high-pressure facilities to support the upgrade;
4) Modernization investments by a combination
utility as defined in Section 16-108.5(b) of the Act to install:
A) Advanced gas meters in connection with the
installation of advanced electric meters pursuant to Sections 16-108.5 and 16-108.6
of the Act; and
B) The communications
hardware and software and associated system software that creates a network between
advanced gas meters and utility business systems and allows the collection and
distribution of gas-related information to customers and other parties in addition
to providing information to the utility itself;
5) Replacing high-pressure transmission pipelines
and associated facilities identified as having a higher risk of leakage or failure
or installing or replacing high-pressure transmission pipelines and associated
facilities to establish records and maximum allowable operating pressures;
6) Replacing difficult to locate mains and service
pipes and associated facilities; and
7)
Replacing or installing transmission and distribution regulator stations,
regulators, valves, and associated facilities to establish over-pressure protection.
[220 ILCS
5/9-220.3(b)(1) through (b)(7)]
b) With respect to the installation of the
facilities identified in subsection (a)(1), the natural gas utility shall determine
priorities for such installation with consideration of projects either:
1) Integral to a general government public
facilities improvement program, or
2)
ranked in the highest risk categories in the utility's most recent Distribution
Integrity Management Plan where removal or replacement is the remedial measure.
[220 ILCS
5/9-220.3(b)]
c) A natural gas utility that is subject to its
delivery base rates being fixed at their current rates pursuant to a Commission
order entered in Docket No. 11-0046, notwithstanding the effective date of its
tariff shall reflect in a QIP surcharge only those projects placed in service after
the fixed rate period of the merger agreement has expired by its terms. [220 ILCS
5/9-220.3(a)(5)]
d) The amount of
qualifying infrastructure investment eligible for recovery under the QIP surcharge
in the applicable calendar year is limited to the lesser of:
1) The actual qualifying infrastructure plant
placed in service in the applicable calendar year; and
2) The difference by which total plant additions
in the applicable calendar year exceed the baseline amount, and subject to the
limitation in Section
556.30(a).
[220 ILCS 5/9-220.3(d)(3)]
e)
A natural gas utility can recover the costs of qualifying infrastructure investments
through an approved QIP surcharge tariff from the beginning of each calendar year
subject to the reconciliation initiated under Section
556.100, during
which the Commission may make adjustments to ensure that the limits defined in this
Part are not exceeded. Further, if total plant additions in a calendar year do not
exceed the baseline amount in the applicable calendar year, the Commission, during
the reconciliation for the applicable calendar year, shall adjust the amount of
qualifying infrastructure investment eligible for recovery under the tariff to zero.
[220 ILCS
5/9-220.3(d)(3)]
