Minnesota Administrative Rules
Agency 138 - Public Utilities Commission
Chapter 7851 - CERTIFICATE OF NEED; GAS STORAGE, PIPELINE
Part 7851.0010 - DEFINITIONS

Subpart 1. Scope.

For purposes of parts 7851.0010 to 7851.0400, the following definitions shall apply.

Subp. 2. Commission.

"Commission" means the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

Subp. 3. Annual gas consumption.

"Annual gas consumption" means the total annual amount of natural or synthetic gas used or disposed of in Minnesota for all purposes by either a utility or pipeline company. This definition shall not include natural gas in storage at the end of the reporting year.

Subp. 4. Construction.

"Construction" means significant physical alteration of a site to install or enlarge a large energy facility, but not including activities incident to preliminary engineering or environmental studies.

Subp. 5. Curtailment.

"Curtailment" means reduction or cutoff of supply to interruptible contract customers that is related directly to deficiencies in gas supply.

Subp. 6. Design day.

"Design day" means the 24-hour period of the greatest theoretical gas demand at a given average temperature.

Subp. 7. Design day availability.

"Design day availability" means the volume of each type of gas arranged to be available on the design day and the maximum total volume of such supply.

Subp. 8. Equivalent Mcf.

"Equivalent Mcf" shall mean the volume in thousands of cubic feet (Mcf) of the liquefied gas if it were gasified, measured at 14.73 pounds per square inch absolute (psia) and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Subp. 9. Firm contract customers.

"Firm contract customers" means customers served under schedules or contracts that neither anticipate nor permit interruption unless a state of emergency exists.

Subp. 10. Forecast years.

"Forecast years" means the 18 calendar years consisting of the calendar year the application is filed with the agency, the ten previous calendar years, and the first five, tenth, and 15th subsequent calendar years.

Subp. 11. Gas volume.

"Gas volume" means the volume of gas as measured at 14.73 psia and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. All volumes shall be in Mcf unless otherwise stated.

Subp. 12. Interruptible contract customers.

"Interruptible contract customers" means customers served under schedules or contracts that anticipate or permit interruption of service during the term of the contract.

Subp. 13. Large gas pipeline.

"Large gas pipeline" means any pipeline for transporting natural or synthetic gas at pressures in excess of 200 psia with more than 50 miles of its length in Minnesota.

Subp. 14. Large liquefied gas storage facility.

"Large liquefied gas storage facility" means any facility designed for or capable of storing on a single site more than 100,000 gallons of liquefied natural or synthetic gas.

Subp. 15. Large underground gas storage facility.

"Large underground gas storage facility" means any facility requiring a permit pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, sections 84.57 to 84.621.

Subp. 16. Liquefied gas.

"Liquefied gas" means natural or synthetic gas stored or transported as a liquid.

Subp. 17. Minnesota service area.

"Minnesota service area" means the geographical area within the state of Minnesota where a utility or a pipeline company serves ultimate consumers. The Minnesota service area for a pipeline company shall also include all Minnesota utilities it serves.

Subp. 18. MMcfpd-mile.

"MMcfpd-mile" means a descriptive unit used as a measure of the size of the pipeline, the quantity of which is obtained by multiplying:

Subp. 19. Natural gas.

"Natural gas" means a naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbon and nonhydrocarbon gases and vapors found in porous geologic formations beneath the earth's surface, the principal constituent of which is methane.

Subp. 20. Off-peak contract customers.

"Off-peak contract customers" means customers served on special schedules or contracts on a firm basis but only for a specified time during the off-peak season.

Subp. 21. Peak day.

"Peak day" means the 24-hour period of greatest gas sendout.

Subp. 22. Person.

"Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation, joint stock company, unincorporated association or society, municipal corporation, or a government or governmental subdivision, unit, or agency, other than a court of law.

Subp. 23. Petroleum supplier.

"Petroleum supplier" means any petroleum refinery in the state and any entity, other than a utility, engaged in the transmission or wholesale distribution in this state of more than 100,000 gallons of crude petroleum, petroleum fuels, oil, their derivatives, or liquefied gas.

Subp. 24. Pipeline company.

"Pipeline company" means an entity that operates a large gas pipeline.

Subp. 25. Substantially complete application.

"Substantially complete application" means an application that is deemed by the commission to be in substantial compliance with the informational requirements of these parts.

Subp. 26. Synthetic gas.

"Synthetic gas" means flammable gas created from gaseous, liquid, or solid hydrocarbons or other organic or inorganic matter. Synthetic gas shall include ethane, propane, butane, or their mixtures, whether extracted from gas streams, lifted from oil and gas wells, or produced at refineries or fuel conversion plants. It shall also include hydrogen or methane produced at conversion plants.

Subp. 27. System.

"System" means that combination of production, gathering, processing, transmission, and storage facilities of the pipeline company or utility for the delivery of natural or synthetic gas to other pipeline companies, other utilities, or ultimate consumers, and includes the company's geographic service area.

Subp. 28. Ultimate consumers.

"Ultimate consumers" means end-use customers, who do not purchase natural gas or synthetic gas for resale.

Subp. 29. Utility.

"Utility" means any entity engaged in Minnesota in the transmission or distribution of natural or synthetic gas to ultimate consumers, including but not limited to a private investor-owned utility or a public or municipally owned utility.