In Re Review of the 2005 Annual Automatic Adjustment of Charges for All Electric & Gas Utilities

OPINION

JOHNSON, Judge.

Due to inadvertence, CenterPoint Energy Minnesota Gas failed to properly account for approximately $28 million in purchases of natural gas that was delivered to Minnesota customers over a five-year period. Although CenterPoint is permitted to recover its gas costs from consumers on a dollar-for-dollar, pass-through basis, Cen-terPoint did not recover that portion of its gas-acquisition costs during the five-year period because of its accounting errors. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission generally permits a utility to recover pass-through costs for only the most…