Boston, MA 08/05/2014 (wallstreetpr) – After making heavy investments to ensure customers don’t’ worry about their electricity supply, FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) is now asking to be allowed to increase the rates so that it may recover the costs or even bring its revenue to the levels of expenses. In Pennsylvania, the company has already placed its request for new rate plan to the state’s Public Utility Commission, and the requested rates might be effective as early as this year if all goes as planned.
The requested rates cloud reflected nearly 12 percent increase in base distribution, which is a portion of the power distribution bill that FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) does have control directly. However, the company lacks control of the portion of the bill that touches on generation and transmission.
Long time before rate hikes
According to the company’s spokesman Scott Surgeoner, the proposed new rate plan would be the first rate increase by the company in nearly 22 years. He went on to say that the so-called base distribution has not been tempered with since 2006 and when it was last amended, it was reduced. He also maintained that the new rates will help the company to not only address its revenue-expenses imbalance, but also enhance their services to the customers.
If the regulators give FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) an okay on the new rates proposal, the higher rates will be effective in October.
Investment and damage costs
FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE)’s so-called heavy investment in Pennsylvania involves an investment of more than $1.8 billion, which is mostly related to service enhancement and that investment has not been recovered by rates. Furthermore, the company has also incurred about $20 million in relation to expenses because of the damages caused by storms in the past few years. It therefore goes without saying that the company expects the approval of the new rates to help take some financial burden off its shoulders.
