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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Public Service Commission of West Virginia held its final public comment hearing this week regarding a proposed rate increase from Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power.
The event wrapped up a series of public comment hearings on the $297 million rate adjustment. The Public Service Commission held similar events in Wheeling, Princeton and Huntington in June ahead of the final hearing at its Charleston headquarters.
Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power — subsidiaries of American Electric Power Company — are seeking the rate adjustment because of the higher cost of natural gas and natural gas.
“That’s really the crux of this case,” Appalachian Power spokesman Phil Moye said. “It’s fuel and purchase power needed to provide the electricity that our customers use.”
Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power previously stated the rate change would result in an $18.41 increase to a residential customer’s bill. Moye stated that the raise would be between $12 and $13.
The proposal comes amid ongoing inflation concerns; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics previously reported the consumer price index reached 9.1% in June. Energy costs have increased by 41.6% since June 2021.
“It’s a difficult time to bring this case,” Moye acknowledged. “Residents across West Virginia are seeing increases in every facet of their lives, whether it’s a restaurant or a grocery store or a gas station or their power bills. Things just all seem to be going up, so it really weighs on folks.”
Moye continued, “If we don’t address [energy costs], it’s just an unsustainable thing to pay $150 a ton for a ton of coal and only be recovering $60.”
The Kanawha County Commission has led the opposition to the proposal, citing recent rate increases from Appalachian Power and other utilities.
“The problem with this is that our power bills have gone up almost 200% in 15 years. People can’t afford this,” President Kent Carper said.
Carper said the commission would not support a lower rate increase, arguing Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power have “raised your electric bill too much already.”