As used in this article, the term:

(1) "Authority" means the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia and any successor thereto. Any change in name or composition of the authority shall in no way affect the vested rights of any person under this article or impair the obligations of any contracts existing under this article.

(2) "Bond anticipation notes" or "notes" means obligations issued after validation of bonds and in anticipation of the issuance of the bonds as validated.

(3) "Bonds" or "revenue bonds" means any bonds issued by the authority under this article, including refunding bonds.

(4) "Cost of project" or "cost of construction" means all costs of construction; all costs of real and personal property required for the purposes of such project and facilities related thereto, including land and any leases, rights or undivided interest therein, easements, franchises, water rights, fees, permits, approvals, licenses, and certificates, and the securing of such permits, approvals, licenses, and certificates and the preparation of applications therefor, and including all machinery and equipment, including equipment for use in connection with such construction; financing charges; working capital; interest prior to and during construction and during such additional period as the authority may determine; operating expenses during such period as the authority may determine; costs of engineering, architectural, and legal services; costs of plans and specifications and all expenses necessary or incidental to determining the feasibility or practicability of the project; costs of insurance or of self-insuring any project; administrative expenses; amounts payable under any judgment against the authority; disposal costs; all costs associated with acquiring contract rights or other contractual arrangements for the short-term or long-term provision of gas supplies, including reserves, transmission, storage, peaking, or other services associated therewith, including prepayments for such; and such other expenses as may be necessary or incidental to the financing authorized by this article. All funds paid or advanced for any of the purposes mentioned in this paragraph by political subdivisions contracting with the authority prior to the issuance of any of the authority's bonds or notes may be refunded to such political subdivisions out of the proceeds of any bonds or notes so issued. The costs of any project may also include a fund or funds for the creation of a debt service reserve, a renewal and replacement reserve, and such other reserves as may be reasonably required by the authority for the operation of its projects and as may be authorized by any bond resolution or trust agreement or indenture pursuant to the provisions of which the issuance of any such bonds or bond anticipation notes may be authorized. Any obligation or expense incurred for any of the purposes mentioned in this paragraph shall be regarded as a part of the cost of the project and may be paid or reimbursed as such out of the proceeds of revenue bonds or notes issued under this article for such project.

(5) "Distribution" means the conveyance of gas to the ultimate consumer. (6) "Election committee" means the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia Membership Election Committee, as created in Code Section 46-4-83.

(7) "Exploration" means the processes, properties, activities, and facilities used for the discovery of deposits of gas, and the study and implementation of enhanced gas recovery methods.

(8) "Gas" means either natural or synthetic gas, including propane, manufactured, methane from coal beds, geothermal gas, or any mixture thereof, whether in gaseous or liquid form, or any byproduct resulting therefrom.

(9) "Production" means the physical activities, processes, properties, and facilities for development, manufacture, synthesis, production, coal gasification, extraction, gathering, or storage of gas or conversion of one form of gas to another.

(10) "Project," "undertaking," or "facility" means any plant, works, system, facility, and real and personal property of any nature whatsoever, together with all parts thereof and appurtenances thereto, and any contract rights, relating to the storage, acquisition, exploration, production, distribution, enrichment, transmission, purchase, sale, exchange, or interchange of gas and relating to the acquisition, extraction, conversion, transportation, storage, or reprocessing of fuel of any kind for any such purposes, or any interest in, or right to the use, services, enrichment, output, or capacity of any such plant, works, system, or facilities. "Project" or "undertaking" as used in this paragraph is intended to include contracts and contract rights as well as tangible property.

(11) "Storage" means any process, properties, activities, or facilities used to hold, store, or maintain gas.

(12) "System" means those properties, facilities, projects, contractual rights, or combination thereof of the authority which are designated by the authority as constituting a specific combination for the purposes of financing such or for the purposes of providing gas supplies or services to a specified group of political subdivisions or to a specified geographic area.

(13) "Transmission" means the transfer of gas from its acquisition site to, between, or among cities or municipal gas agencies or other persons with whom they may contract, but does not include distribution, except where incidental or necessary to transmission.