ALLENTOWN, Pa., March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- PPL Electric
Utilities is requesting a delivery charge increase – the first in
three years – to fund ongoing reliability improvements for its
customers.
The company filed a rate request with the Pennsylvania Public
Utility Commission Tuesday (3/31).
If the entire amount of the request is approved, a residential
customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month who does not shop for
electricity supply would see bills increase from $147.31 to $157.50,
or about 6.9 percent. The majority of the company's residential
customers – about 65 percent of them – use less electricity and
would have a smaller increase in their monthly bills.
"Almost all of the increase we are requesting will go directly
into enhancing the reliability of our electric system – reducing
the number of power outages," said Greg
Dudkin, PPL Electric Utilities president. "At the same time,
we are focused on operating more efficiently to make sure electric
service from PPL remains a good value for our customers."
The utility continues a major capital spending program to
replace aging equipment, install new lines and substations, make
the system more storm-resistant and install new technologies like
smart grid.
About $4.7 billion has been
invested over the past decade and the company plans to invest
another $5.7 billion during the next
five years to continue to renew, strengthen and modernize the
delivery network that serves millions of people.
Prior investments have significantly improved reliability: On
average, customers have 20 percent fewer power outages today than
they did in 2007. The company estimates that the additional planned
investment would result in another 20-percent improvement in
reliability in the next five years.
Tree-related power outages are down 18 percent compared to the
average of the previous 10 years, thanks to stepped-up line
clearance activities. Trees are the main cause of power outages in
storms. The rate increase request would help fund continued
improvements in this area.
As outlined in the company's PUC filing, the total increase,
spread across all of the company's 1.4 million customers, would be
$167.5 million per year.
Under the proposed increase, the total bill for a commercial
customer receiving generation service from PPL Electric Utilities
and using 1,000 kilowatt-hours with a maximum demand of 3 kilowatts
would increase from $125.17 to
$131.95 per month, or by 5.4
percent.
The total bill for an industrial customer receiving generation
service from PPL Electric Utilities and using 150,000
kilowatt-hours with a maximum demand of 500 kilowatts would
increase from $13,366.34 to
$13,524.75 per month, or 1.2
percent.
In addition – in a move that would have no impact on the amount
customers pay – PPL has proposed that some fees already being paid
as separate charges on customer bills be rolled into base rates.
This would be completely offset by the reduction in these charges
elsewhere on the bill, resulting in no increase in the total
per-month charge.
If approved by the PUC, the increase would take effect on
Jan. 1, 2016.
Customers may call PPL Electric Utilities at 1-800-342-5775
(DIAL-PPL) to get further information on the proposed increase or
to find out what actions they may take.
PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE:
PPL), provides electric delivery services to about 1.4 million
customers in Pennsylvania and has
consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service
in the United States. More
information is available at www.pplelectric.com.
Note to Editors: Visit our media website at www.pplnewsroom.com
for additional news and background about PPL Corporation.
Contact:
|
Paul Wirth, (610)
774-5997
|
|
PPL Electric
Utilities
|
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SOURCE PPL Electric Utilities