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Consumers' counsel predicts adjustments in FirstEnergy proposal
Published on Thursday, Dec 04, 2008
From staff and wire reports
An electric rate plan proposed by Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. that would raise customers' rates by an average of 5 percent annually over the next three years could be revised before it is acted upon by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio this month.
The regulatory panel is likely to modify the plan or replace it with a substitute that would last up to a year, at least one expert said.
''I think it's hard to fathom a result that would simply lead to adoption of the company's plan as proposed,'' said Jeff Small, an attorney for the Ohio Consumers' Counsel.
Whatever is approved, the plan will be the first new rate arrangement after eight years under deregulation.
Filed July 31, the pending request would increase rates 5.3 percent next year, 4 percent in 2010, and 6 percent in 2011.
FirstEnergy said the typical Ohio Edison residential monthly bill, based on 750 kilowatts of usage, would actually see a decrease of $1.28 in 2009, then increase by $3.06 monthly in 2010 and another $3.67 a month in 2011.
An alternative plan that would have set rates according to market prices was rejected last week by the PUCO, because the plan did not comply with a new state law.
FirstEnergy is still considering its options regarding that rejected plan and whether to file an application for rehearing, said spokeswoman Ellen Raines.
FirstEnergy officials have said they believe the pending plan, called the Electric Service Plan, is the best option for customers.
The pending plan must be acted upon by Dec. 28, because the existing rate arrangement expires by year's end. Nearly 350 documents have been filed in the case, ranging from a few pages to several hundred.
Shana Eiselstein, a PUCO spokesperson, said the commission can consider ''anything in the record'' in making its ruling on the rate plan. That means changes will be made in the requested plan.
Industrial Energy Users-Ohio, an association of large industrial consumers, wants rates to reflect customer demand. The submitted plan calls for all rates to be based on a specific price per kilowatt hour. The group wants a reduced rate because of its higher use.
The Toledo Blade and Beacon Journal business writer Betty Lin-Fisher contributed to this report.
Get the full article here.
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