Alberta Utilities Commission approves $31M ATCO fine, says in public interest
The Alberta Utilities Fee has accredited a $31-million high-quality proposed for ATCO Electrical’s makes an attempt to overcharge ratepayers for prices it shouldn’t have incurred.
In April, ATCO Electrical agreed to pay the penalty after a fee investigation discovered it intentionally overpaid a First Nation group for work on a brand new transmission line.
It stated ATCO additionally didn’t disclose the explanations for the overpayment when it utilized to be reimbursed by ratepayers for the additional price.
However in Could, the Shoppers’ Coalition of Alberta stated the proposed settlement doesn’t adequately compensate folks within the province for the hurt they’ve suffered.
READ MORE: Proposed ATCO high-quality over padded charge requests inadequate, shoppers group argues
The fee says in its ruling that after rigorously contemplating the settlement settlement, it’s happy that accepting it’s in keeping with the general public curiosity.
The fee additionally says the settlement wouldn’t carry the administration of justice into disrepute.
“The fee considers that the settlement is match and cheap, falling inside a variety of cheap outcomes given the circumstances,” reads the ruling launched Wednesday.
The settlement got here after an investigation right into a grievance that ATCO Electrical sole-sourced a contract in 2018 for work wanted for a transmission line to Jasper, Alta.
The settlement says that was partly as a result of one other of Calgary-based ATCO’s subsidiaries had a cope with a First Nation for tasks, together with for work camps on the Trans Mountain Pipeline enlargement.
The assertion of info says ATCO Electrical feared that if it didn’t grant the Jasper contract to the First Nation, it would again out of its cope with ATCO Buildings and Logistics. It’s unlawful for a regulated utility to profit a non-regulated firm on this means.
