As used in this article the following terms shall have the following meanings, respectively, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise;

(1) ELECTRIC SUPPLIER. Any municipality, municipally-owned utility or other governmental entity, any cooperative, corporation, person, firm, association or other entity engaged in the business of supplying electric service at retail; provided, however, that no person or entity, including the Tennessee Valley Authority, who may not be lawfully regulated by the state by virtue of powers granted by the laws of the United States which prevail over Alabama statutes, nor any university, college or United States agency which distributes electricity at retail shall be deemed an electric supplier for the purpose of this article.

(2) ELECTRIC SERVICE AT RETAIL and RETAIL ELECTRIC SERVICE. Electric service furnished to a customer for ultimate consumption, but does not include wholesale electric service furnished by an electric supplier to another electric supplier for resale.

(3) PREMISES. The building, structure or facility to which electricity is being metered or is to be furnished and metered, including all meters on such building, structure or facility through which electricity is delivered or to be delivered. Such term shall also include any building, structure or facility which is reconstructed to replace a previously existing building, structure or facility of substantially the same size. In the event two or more buildings, structures, or facilities are located on one tract of land utilized by one customer, those buildings, structures, or facilities which are or will be served through a different meter shall be considered a separate premises

(4) DISTRIBUTION LINE. An electric conductor which is operated at 35,000 volts or less, up to but not including the service drop. The service drop shall be that line from the last pole or last transformer on the distribution system to the premises.

(5) EXISTING DISTRIBUTION LINE. A distribution line in existence on January 1, 1984.

(6) PRIMARY ELECTRIC SUPPLIER. That electric supplier for each municipality existing on January 1, 1984 serving a plurality of the premises within the existing municipal limits to which service is actually being supplied and metered on January 1, 1984.

(7) SECONDARY ELECTRIC SUPPLIER. Any electric supplier serving within existing municipal limits which is not the primary electric supplier.

(8) EXISTING MUNICIPAL LIMITS. The corporate boundaries of any municipality as such boundaries existed on April 26, 1984.

(9) MUNICIPAL CONSENT or CONSENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY. The approval by a city or town pursuant to Section 220 of the Alabama Constitution of the use of the streets, avenues, alleys or public places of the city or town evidenced by appropriate action of the proper authorities of the city or town.

(10) REPRODUCTION COST NEW LESS DEPRECIATION. The total investment that would be required by the electric supplier selling the facilities to duplicate the facilities to be sold at the time of such sale utilizing then current costs for all materials, supplies, labor, land and land rights, transportation, and miscellaneous direct and indirect expenses (including overhead, engineering and supervision costs that are normally capitalized) that would be required; the costs that would be required to obtain all necessary approvals and permits; and any other costs that would be appropriately applicable to the reproduction of the facilities, less an amount representing the straight line depreciation of such reproduction costs of any depreciable items over an assumed life of 30 years for electric distribution facilities for that period of time equal to the age of the items of the electric distribution facilities being transferred. In no event, however, shall any item be depreciated more than 30 percent of the reproduction costs new of that item, so that in no event shall reproduction cost new less depreciation be less than 70 percent of the reproduction cost of such item.

(11) INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMER. A customer utilizing electric service at a premises at which the predominate activity is classified as mining, manufacturing, transportation, communication, electric, gas and sanitary services, or miscellaneous repair services in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, Part I, Divisions B, D and E and Major Group 76 of Division I as published in 1972 by the statistical policy division of the United States Office of Management and Budget.

(12) NEW INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMER. An industrial customer who constructs a new premises on a site not previously occupied by an industrial customer.