RICHMOND — The State Corporation Commission (SCC) has denied a motion by Dominion Virginia Power (DVP) and several other parties to DVP's 2009 base rate case to delay by one year the rate review required by law in either 2011 or 2012.

The SCC cited procedural concerns in denying the motion and did not rule on the merits of the substantive provisions of the motion.

Dominion was joined in the motion by several parties to the 2009 case, which was resolved by a settlement. That settlement was agreed to by all parties and the SCC staff. The Commission approved the settlement in the 2009 case as just and reasonable and consistent with Virginia law. Joining DVP in making the request to delay the 2011 rate review were, among others, the Office of the Attorney General and the SCC staff.

Opposing the motion was an organization comprised of several large industrial customers of DVP, the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, and the Department of the Navy, representing all federal executive agencies.

The opponents argued, among other things, that the request to delay the rate review until 2012 violated a material term of the settlement reached in the 2009 case. The SCC declined to approve a material change in the settlement provisions less than a year after all parties had agreed to its provisions, noting that the request was opposed by some parties to that settlement.

The joint motion included, among other provisions, an extension of the ceiling on base rates through 2014, and a $75 million credit to customers. The SCC noted that all parties may continue to negotiate on substantive issues such as these in the rate review case.

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Order on Joint Motion
Case Numbers: PUE-2009-00019, PUE-2010-00054, PUE-2010-00055, and PUE-2010-00084