State grants $28M hike in Kansas Gas Service rates

The Kansas state capitol in Topeka.
Photographer: Kevin Mitchell KSHB-TV
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Posted: 12/06/2012

By: Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas regulators have approved a 7 percent rate increase for the state's largest natural gas company that will generate $28 million a year in new revenues for the utility.

The Kansas Corporation Commission said a legal settlement it accepted Wednesday will raise bills for average residential customers of Kansas Gas Service by less than $2 a month.

The settlement was reached in October by the company, the KCC's staff and other parties. They included the Citizens' Utility Ratepayers Board, a state agency representing residential customers and small businesses.

The agreement will allow Kansas Gas Service to earn a pretax profit of 10.6 percent on its operations.

The company originally sought a rate increase of nearly $51 million. It has about 632,000 customers in Kansas.