The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC or Commission) is beginning an initiative to reform utility rate regulation in Alberta for electricity and natural gas distribution services. 

There are two principal purposes of the Commission’s rate regulation initiative:

• to develop a regulatory framework that creates incentives for the regulated companies to improve their efficiency while ensuring that the gains from those improved efficiencies are shared with customers. 
• to improve the efficiency of the regulatory framework and allow the Commission to focus more of its attention on both prices and quality of service important to customers.

A roundtable discussion was conducted on March 25, 2010 to assist the Commission in determining scheduling and scope issues for the initial stages of the initiative. More detailed information on this initiative is in the Commission’s letter to interested parties, dated February 26, 2010.

For the purpose of providing a mechanism for interested parties to file information on this initiative or access/download documents associated with this initiative, the Commission will be using its electronic filing system. For the initial stages of the initiative, application number 1606029 and proceeding identification number 566 have been assigned.

Documents related to the initial stages of the rate regulation initiative are currently available for viewing through the Proceeding Search system (ID 566) which is accessible under the E-Filing Services & Regulatory Document Search section of the home page on the Commission website at www.auc.ab.ca.