Abandoned Well An oil or gas well not in use because it was a dry hole originally, or because it has ceased to produce in paying quantities. State statutes and regulations require the plugging of abandoned wells to prevent oil, gas, or water seeping from one stratum of underlying rock to another. Read More
Abandonment Termination of a sale or interstate transportation of natural gas. Abandonment of a service that is subject to FERC jurisdiction requires some type of advance determination by the FERC under Section 7 (b) of the NGA that the "present or future public convenience and necessity" requires termination. Read More
Abandonment, Pregranted A provision of a FERC certificate of public convenience and necessity that authorizes abandonment on a future condition subsequent or on a date certain. Read More
Access The legal right to use an electrical or gas transmission and /or distribution system as a means of transferring electrical energy or natural gas as set forth in the contract. Read More
Access Charge A charge levied on power supplied, or its customer, for access to a utility's transmission or distribution system. It is a charge for the right to send electricity over another's wires. Read More
Account No. 191 Tracking system established by the FERC for unrecovered gas supply costs incurred by interstate pipelines, to be eliminated once pipelines sell gas at market-based rates under blanket sales certificates pursuant to Order No. 636. Read More
Account No. 858 Tracking system established by the FERC used by interstate pipelines for costs incurred transporting sales gas on upstream pipelines. Read More
Acid Rain Also called acid precipitation or acid deposition, acid rain is precipitation containing harmful amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids formed primarily by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. It can be wet precipitation (rain, snow, or fog) or ... Read More
Acquired Capacity Agreement Under capacity release, an agreement between a gas pipeline and an acquiring shipper which establishes the terms and conditions for the acquiring shipper using firm capacity rights from a releasing shipper. Read More
Acquiring Shipper In the context of capacity release, a shipper who acquires firm capacity rights from a releasing shipper (also known as "replacement shipper"). Read More
Acre-Feet The amount of water it takes to cover one acre to a depth of one foot. This measure is used to describe the quantity of storage in a hydrosystem reservoir. An average household of four will use approximately one acre foot of water per year. Read More
Actual Peak Reduction The actual reduction in annual system peak load (measured in kilowatts) achieved through consumer's participation in a utility DSM (See Demand Side Management) program. It reflects the changes in the demand for electricity resulting from a utility DSM program that is in effect at the same time the ... Read More
Actuals In the context of futures trading, actual cash commodities in contrast to futures commodities. In the context of ratemaking, actual costs and throughput data relating to a given time frame. Read More
Ad Valorem Tax Tax imposed at a percent of a value. Local property taxes are often ad valorem taxes. Read More
Adequacy A bulk electric power system's ability to supply the aggregate electrical demand and energy requirements of customers at all times. Read More
Adequate Regulating Margin The minimum on-line capacity that can be increased or decreased to allow the system to respond to all reasonable demand changes in order to be in compliance with the NERC Control Performance Criteria. See Spinning Reserves. Read More