WEST VIRGINIA (LOOTPRESS) – Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power submitted their annual Expanded Net Energy Cost (ENEC) filing today to the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC), seeking recovery of $71.6 million in fuel expenses used to generate electricity for customers.
The ENEC process allows utilities to recover fuel and purchased power costs on a dollar-for-dollar basis, ensuring rates accurately reflect actual expenditures. The companies emphasized that this filing is necessary to recover costs associated with coal and natural gas used in power generation, as well as electricity purchased from the market.
If the $71.6 million is approved without being included in a separate securitization case currently under review by the PSC, the average residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity would see a monthly increase of $5.31 starting September 1.
Company officials, however, say that including the ENEC balance in the pending securitization filing could largely reduce — or even eliminate — the need for a rate increase.
“If the unrecovered ENEC amount keeps rising, it will create a larger financial strain for our customers down the line,” said Aaron Walker, president and chief operating officer of Appalachian Power. “Nevertheless, we recognize the immediate challenges our customers are experiencing, and therefore, we strongly advocate for including this outstanding balance in the securitization case currently pending with the Public Service Commission.”
The filing is part of the companies’ ongoing efforts to manage fuel costs transparently and equitably, while maintaining reliable service to West Virginia customers.
