Centra Gas Manitoba

Centra Gas Manitoba Inc. is a division of Manitoba Hydro. Centra Gas Manitoba initially received its provincial charter in 1953.[2] Based in Winnipeg, it is the primary natural gas distributor in Manitoba,[5] serving the Winnipeg and surrounding area, including rural communities.[6] The company had a gas distribution monopoly in Manitoba until 1991.[7]

Westcoast Energy of Vancouver owned Centra Gas Manitoba from 1990 until 1999, when it was purchased by Manitoba Hydro.[5][6] In the couple of years preceding the sale, Centra began speculative natural gas trading, leading to a CA$45.5 million loss which Manitoba utility regulators ruled the company could not recover through a rate hike, forcing shareholders to absorb the loss.[8] Also, as early as 1996, Centra had been working with Manitoba Hydro to reduce costs by combining forces on activities like power meter reading and billing.[9]

Centra Gas Manitoba was one of four units of parent Centra Gas Canada, the other three being Centra Gas Ontario, Centra Gas Alberta, and Centra Gas British Columbia, which in toto distributed natural gas to 500,000 Canadians and employed about 2000 people as of the firm's name change from ICG Utilities to Centra Gas in 1991.[10] Each of the four component companies were regulated utilities, and at least two had un-regulated affiliate firms, such as Centra Energy Services as the affiliate of Centra Gas Manitoba.[11]

As of 1999, Centra had about 240,000 residential and commercial customers.[5] In fiscal 2003 total gas revenues were $497 million (Canadian) on 2,123 million cubic metres of gas. Residential consumers account for about 42% of Manitoba gas consumption.