CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There is a proposed settlement in the works for a large rate case involving FirstEnergy companies Mon Power and Potomac Edison. The interested parties appeared briefly before the state Public Service Commission Tuesday morning.
The 10-minute hearing was very limited on specifics only to say FirstEnergy, the Consumer Advocate Division, PSC staff and others have agreed to some things but are still working on a few others. The PSC set a Nov. 7 hearing to hear specifics of the proposal.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison asked the PSC earlier this year to raise their rates by a total of $144 million, which would raise the average customer’s bill by $14 a month. The original case sought a $96 million increase in the company’s base rate and $48 million to pay for an enhanced vegetation clearing program already approved by the PSC in the aftermath of the 2012 derecho.
A large part of the base rate increase proposal would help pay for the recent purchase of the Harrison Power Station. The proposal would also help finance the hiring of 50 additional workers to improve reliability.
A total of six public hearings were held at three different locations last month.