Pursuant to Section 4929.20(A) of the Ohio Revised Code, retail natural gas service suppliers (retail natural gas aggregator, brokers and marketers) and certain governmental aggregators must be certified by the PUCO before providing competitive retail natural gas or governmental aggregation service to residential and small commercial customers. The information one must file differs depending on the type of services that the applicant will provide.
Competitive retail natural gas service (CRNGS) provider definitions.
- Competitive retail natural gas aggregator – a person or company who contracts with customers to combine the customers’ natural gas load for the purpose of purchasing CRNGS on an aggregated basis.
- Competitive retail natural gas aggregation service – combining the natural gas load of multiple retail residential customers or small commercial customers via an agreement with the customers for the purpose of purchasing retail natural gas service on an aggregated basis.
- Competitive retail natural gas broker – a person or company who provides retail natural gas brokerage service and is compensated on a volumetric basis, is retail customer facing, and is not under an exclusivity contract with a CRNGS provider.
- Competitive retail natural gas brokerage service – assuming the contractual and legal responsibility for the sale and/or arrangement for the supply of CRNGS to a retail customer in Ohio without taking title to the natural gas.
- Competitive retail natural gas marketing service – assuming the contractual and legal responsibility for the sale and provision of CRNGS to a retail natural gas customer in this state and having title to natural gas at some point during the transaction.
- Competitive retail natural gas service (CRNGS) – any retail natural gas service that may be competitively offered to consumers in this state.
- Competitive retail natural gas service supplier – a person that is engaged in a for-profit or not-for-profit basis in the business of supplying or arranging for the supply of a CRNGS to consumers in this state that are not mercantile customers. “Retail natural gas supplier” includes a marketer, broker or aggregator, but excludes a natural gas company, a governmental aggregator, a billing or collection agent, and a producer or gatherer of gas that is not a natural gas company.
- Natural gas governmental aggregators - The legislative authority of a municipal corporation, the board of township trustees or a board of county commissioners acting exclusively under Section 4929.26 or 4929.27 of the Ohio Revised Code as an aggregator for the provision of CRNGS. For the purposes of this definition, “governmental aggregator” specifically excludes a municipal corporation acting exclusively under Section 4 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution, as an aggregator for the provision of CRNGS.
CRNGS certification applications
Provided below are the PUCO's official filing instructions and certification application forms. To avoid delays in obtaining a certificate, each applicant should carefully review and understand the PUCO's competitive retail natural gas service rules in their entirety before applying for certification. A renewal application shall be filed between 30 and 90 days prior to the expiration date printed on the certificate. Applications can be also be completed and filed in the PUCO Community.
CRNGS abandonment applications
A certified retail natural gas service provider may apply to the PUCO to cease being a retail natural gas supplier or governmental aggregator in this state. Pursuant to Chapter 4901:1-27-11 of the Ohio Administrative Code, abandonment applications, in addition to other mandated requirements, are to be filed on Commission-approved forms, at least 90 days prior the effective date that the retail natural gas supplier or governmental aggregator will abandon operations. Abandonment application can also be completed and filed in the PUCO Community.
