Hope Gas hopes to convert 600+ West Virginia ‘farm-tap’ customers to propane

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — More than 600 “farm-tap” gas customers in 22 West Virginia counties could be forced to convert to propane or electric heat.

A procedural schedule was set Friday after Hope Gas, which serves communities in more than half the counties in West Virginia, filed a petition back in August to convert certain customers from gas to propane fuel.

According to the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC), Hope Gas says that “the current condition of the pipelines renders existing gas service to farm-tap customers on those lines unsafe, unreliable, and/or uneconomical for Hope to continue to operate and maintain or replace.” Instead, Hope Gas hopes to supply those customers with propane or electric heaters. Hope Gas would pay for the unit installations and the ongoing cost of supplying those customers with propane.

The proposal would affect residential farm-tap customers in 22 counties, including 479 Hope Gas customers and 150 third-party customers of Diversified Gas and Oil Company, Pillar Energy, Noumenon Corp., and Pine Mountain Inc.

Affected customers in the following counties will be notified by mail within 10 days of the order (Oct. 28).

• Barbour
• Braxton
• Calhoun
• Clay
• Doddridge
• Gilmer
• Harrison
• Jackson
• Kanawha
• Lewis
• Marion
• Mason
• Monongalia
• Pleasants
• Ritchie
• Roane
• Taylor
• Tyler
• Upshur
• Wetzel
• Wirt
• Wood

The Consumer Advocate Division, Diversified Energy Company, PLC, and the Gas and Oil Association of WV all filed petitions to intervene on behalf of Hope Gas’ customers, which were all granted. Public comments and protests about the proposal will be accepted by the PSC by mail and online here , and an evidentiary hearing will be held on Dec. 9.

Customers can mail comments to the following address. All comments should include the case name (Hope Gas, Inc.) and number (24-0704-G-P).

Karen Buckley, Executive Secretary,
P.O. Box 81 2, Charleston, West Virginia 25323

According to the PSC, Hope Gas estimates that the cost to install and store propane services on those farms is about $6 million, which is less than 1% of the cost to replace and maintain the gas lines, an estimated $600 million plus another $10 million per year.

This petition filed by Hope Gas does not include a rate increase for any customers.

Additional information about the case is available here by searching the case number (24-0704-G-P).

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