(a) Not more frequently than every five years, the commission shall cause to be performed a management audit of each electric utility to determine whether it is being managed in an efficient and effective manner.

(b) The management audit provided for in this Code section shall be performed by a qualified and reputable management auditor of national reputation, to be selected by the commission from a list of not less than three such auditors, which list shall be made up by mutual agreement of the commission and the electric utility. The management auditor shall report the results of the audit to the commission.

(c) In the event that the commission and the electric utility are unable to agree on a list of management auditors, either party may petition the Superior Court of Fulton County to select, within 30 days of filing, such a list after a hearing on the petition.

(d) The audited electric utility shall pay for the management audit. The cost of the management audit shall be recognized by the commission as an operating expense of the utility; and the utility's rates shall be fixed by the commission to recover this retail expense amortized over such period as the commission may direct.