N.M. Admin. Code § 17.10.650.14

Current through Register Vol. 36, No. 1, January 14, 2025

Section 17.10.650.14 - STANDARDS OF QUALITY SERVICE

A.Purity requirements: All gas supplied to customers shall be substantially free from impurities which may cause corrosion of mains or piping or form corrosive or harmful fumes when burned in a properly designed and adjusted burner.

B.Pressure limits: The standard pressure of gas supplied by any gas utility to domestic or commercial customers as measured on the customer's side of any such customer's meter shall not be less than four inches nor more than 14 inches of water pressure. In the case of customers who require higher pressure than the standard established for domestic and commercial service, the utility may supply gas at the desired pressure, and the volume of such gas shall be computed on the basis of a filed rule or special contract covering gas supplied to customers at other than standard pressure. (See Paragraph (2) of Subsection K of 17.10.650.7 NMAC).

C.Pressure surveys and records:

(1) Each utility shall make a sufficient number of pressure measurements on its mains and at the customer's meter so that it will have substantially accurate knowledge of the pressure in the low, intermediate, and high pressure system in each district, division, or community served by its distribution mains.

(2) All pressure records obtained under this section shall be retained in accordance with 17.3.310 NMAC and shall be available for inspection by the commission's representatives. Notations on each record shall indicate the following:

(a) the location where the pressure check was made, and

(b) the time and date of the check.

D.Standards for pressure measurements:

(1) Secondary standards: Each utility shall own or have access to a dead weight tester, which must be maintained in an accurate condition.

(2) Working standards: Each utility must own or have access to water manometers, mercury manometers, laboratory quality indicating pressure gauges, and field type dead weight pressure gauges as necessary for the proper testing of the indicating and recording pressure gauges used in determining the pressure on the utility's system.

(3) Working standards must be checked periodically (see Paragraph (3) of Subsection C of 17.10.650.13 NMAC) by comparison with a secondary standard.

E.Heating value:

(1) Manufactured and mixed gas: The average heating value on any one day of manufactured gas and mixed gas including liquefied petroleum gas mixed with air but excluding natural gas when mixed with manufactured or liquefied petroleum gas for peak shaving or emergency purposes shall not exceed or fall below the standard heating value specified by the utility (see Paragraph (1) of Subsection C of 17.10.650.9 NMAC) by more than five percent.

(2) Natural and liquefied petroleum gas: The heating value of natural gas and undiluted, commercially pure liquefied petroleum gas as determined in accordance with Subsection F of 17.10.650.14 NMAC) shall not exceed or fall below the standard heating value (see Paragraph (1) of Subsection C of 17.10.650.9 NMAC) by more than five percent.

(3) Adjustment of customers' appliances: Necessary adjustments of customers' appliances must be made by the utility without charge whenever the monthly average heating value of manufactured or mixed gas or natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas sold subject to thermal adjustment is more than five percent above or below the standard heating value for two successive months or whenever the heating value of natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas not sold subject to thermal adjustment is shown by two successive tests made in accordance with Paragraph (3) of Subsection F of 17.10.650.14 NMAC to be more than five percent above or below the standard heating value.

F.Heating value determination and records:

(1) Calorimeters used for the determination of the heating value of the gas sold shall be of a type acceptable to the commission.

(a) The calorimetric equipment shall be installed in a suitably located testing station acceptable to the commission and subject to its inspection.

(b) The accuracy of all calorimeters as well as the method of making heating value tests shall be acceptable to the commission. Recording calorimeters shall be tested with a standard gas at least once a year.

(c) Heating value test records shall be preserved in accordance with 17.3.310 NMAC.

(2) The utility shall determine the heating value of manufactured and mixed gas at least once daily and shall make the test during the period of the highest daily peak demands.

(3) Except for gas sold subject to thermal adjustment (to which the provisions of (2) above shall be applicable), the utility shall determine the heating value of natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas at least quarterly, provided that whenever any such quarterly test or subsequent test provided for herein indicates a heating value which is above or below the standard heating value by more than five percent, another determination of the heating value shall be made no more than 30 days thereafter.

(4) Whenever a special contract between a utility and a customer makes specific provisions for the time and manner of determination of the heating value of the gas delivered to such customer, no additional or other determinations of the heating value of such gas need be made pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this section.

G.Interruptions of service:

(1) Each utility shall keep records of interruptions of service to 50 or more of its customers on any of its distribution systems and shall make an analysis of the records for the purpose of determining steps to be taken to prevent recurrence of such interruptions. Such records should include the following information concerning the interruptions:

(a) cause;

(b) date and time; and

(c) duration.

(2) Planned interruptions shall be made at a time that will not cause unreasonable inconvenience to customers and shall be preceded by adequate notice to those who will be affected.

(3) Each utility shall notify the utility division of the commission by facsimile or e-mail and confirm by letter to the records division of the commission of any interruption to the service of a major portion of any single distribution system. Each utility shall provide to commission staff all information requested by staff that is reasonably needed to assess the situation.

(4) Each utility shall identify critical customers, including facilities that require natural gas to perform essential life-health-safety services, including other utility services such as electrical generating stations, to establish priority of service and to minimize curtailments to these customers.

(5) Each utility shall identify an emergency coordinator to act as a single point of contact between designated emergency personnel in each community served by the utility in the event of a system emergency.

H.Curtailment of service plan: Each utility shall have in place a plan for curtailment of service for system emergencies. Each plan shall be consistent with applicable national and other reliability and safety standards. The plan shall identify various levels of curtailment and conditions that a gas utility must experience for each level as well as specifying the type of actions the utility must undertake to contain or reverse a potential emergency. Each plan must also prescribe the minimum documentation required at each level. The plan must also include information dissemination to customers, the public and governmental entities. Each utility will periodically review and update the plan and will submit a copy of the most current plan version to the records division of the commission as a company rule pursuant to 17.9.210 NMAC.

N.M. Admin. Code § 17.10.650.14

6-30-88; 17.10.650.14 NMAC - Rn, NMPSC 650.37-650.43, 6-15-05; A, 12-31-12, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXI, Issue 21, November 10, 2020, eff. 11/10/2020