Section 113.1002. Principles of facilities development.

  The utility shall provide safe, reliable service with extensions that conform, to the extent possible, to each of the following standards:

(1)   Route. The utility shall make the extension over the most direct route which is the least expensive and least environmentally degrading. The customer shall provide or shall be responsible for the cost of all right-of-way easements and permits necessary for the utility to install, maintain, or replace distribution facilities. The customer shall either clear and grade such property or pay the utility to clear and grade such property. The customer is responsible for the cost of restoration of the property after the utility has completed installation and backfilling where applicable.

(2)   Design. The utility shall design and install facilities to deliver service to the customer and the area at the lowest reasonable cost. The facilities shall comply with accepted engineering and planning practices. The design shall consider reasonable needs for probable growth in the area and local land use planning. Unwarranted excess capacity which would result in unnecessary cost increases to the utility and its customers shall be avoided. The utility shall be responsible for the incremental cost of distribution facilities which are in excess of standard design for the customer and normal area growth.

(3)   Efficient use. The utility's extension rules shall discouraged the inefficient use of electricity by appropriately relating costs to the charges made for extensions.

(4)   Cost estimates. The utility shall engineer and estimate the cost of each extension based on reasonable current costs. Current costs may be estimated using job specific costs, average costs per foot or unit, or other costing method as appropriate.

Cr. Register, July, 2000, No. 535 , eff. 8-1-00.