Natural gas rates to rise 12 per cent May 1
Starting May 1, Manitoba homeowners will pay about 12 per cent more for natural gas.
The Public Utilities Board approved the application of Centra Gas Manitoba Inc., which is projected to increase the annual bill for a typical residential customer by nearly $73 per year, or 12.4 per cent, a news release noted Thursday.
The rate increase is the result of forecast increases in the expected costs of purchasing natural gas over the next 12 months.
Natural gas rates are reviewed quarterly in February, May, August and November. The rate will be reviewed again for Aug. 1, the PUB stated.
Centra Gas — a subsidiary of Crown corporation Manitoba Hydro — charges customers only what it pays for gas and does not make a profit on its sale.
The rate hike that takes effect May 1 is the result of several natural gas market factors, including reduced storage levels in North America following a colder winter and higher demand for North American liquefied natural gas, the PUB said.
Gas commodity rates for customers that have signed fixed-term, fixed-price contracts, with either Centra or a private broker, are not affected.
The natural gas increase is separate from the three-year electricity rate increase Manitoba Hydro submitted to the PUB on March 28. The public power utility is seeking a total rate increase of 10.5 per cent over three years, starting in 2026. The PUB is an impartial tribunal and regulator, at arm's-length from government that acts in the public interest.
It issued a separate notice Thursday approving a May 1 decrease in the propane commodity rate provided to customers through Stittco Utilities Ltd. pipeline distribution systems in Thompson, Flin Flon and Snow Lake. The new rate works out to a decrease in the average residential annual bill of approximately 11 per cent, or $209 per year, when compared to current propane rates that were approved Feb. 1. Actual customer impacts will depend on propane consumption, the PUB said. Stittco's propane rates will be reviewed again for Aug 1.
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