Liberty Utilities customers in southern and central Illinois will pay more for natural gas, but not as much as Liberty had requested.

The Illinois Commerce Commission approved an increase of nearly $3.2 million, which is 22 percent less than Liberty’s original request of $4.1 million. The ICC also approved a 9.9% return on equipment for the company, down from the requested 10.8%.

An ICC official says the commission issued its decision after closely reviewing the Liberty case file and additional materials submitted by the company, ICC staff and various intervenors during an 11-month court proceeding. The process aims to ensure that utilities receive the funds they need to provide safe and reliable service to customers and to maintain and replace aging infrastructure at a reasonable cost. Under the Illinois Public Utilities Act, costs are recoverable only if the utility demonstrates that they are reasonable and prudent.

The impact of the tariff case decision on individual customers will vary depending on the customer’s class of service and energy consumption.

Liberty Utilities provides natural gas service to approximately 21,000 customers in southern and central Illinois, many in the local region.