Manitoba

Natural gas bills set to increase Aug. 1: Public Utilities Board

The PUB has approved an increase to Primary Gas rates in the province.

An increase of 8.7 per cent, or about $58 dollars per year for residential customers, set to begin Sunday

A blue sign says "Manitoba Hydro Place."
The Public Utilities Board rate increase will affect residential customers who use natural gas through Manitoba Hydro. (Jaison Empson/CBC)

Manitobans using natural gas will see an increase on their hydro bills next month as rates increase on Aug. 1, the Public Utilities Board says. 

The board approved the application for an increase by Centra Gas Manitoba Inc., a division of Manitoba Hydro, to boost the primary gas (natural gas) rate from 0.1045 cents per cubic metre to 0.1323 cents per cubic metre.

This will result in an 8.7 per cent increase — or approximately $58 more per year on average — for residential customers, the utilities board said in a news release Tuesday. 

The board says customers with fixed-term or fixed-price contracts with Centra Gas or private brokers will not be affected by the increase, which will be reviewed again on Nov. 1, 2021.

Centra Gas sells primary gas to Manitoba customers on a cost-recovery basis without markups through Manitoba Hydro.

The costs of primary gas are determined by the market price of natural gas in Western Canada, the PUB says. 

More information is available on the Public Utility Board's website.