APCo requests decreases & increases

Appalachian Power’s interim fuel factor rate went into effect November 1. This will mean a modest decrease in your power bills starting next month. Under the proposed interim fuel factor rate, customers would see a decrease of $1.80 per 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh).

In a request filed with the State Corporation Commission, Appalachian seeks approval of the rate it charges customers for the fuel – mostly coal and natural gas – used to generate electricity.

The SSC said Thursday that it has approved the new rate on a interim basis, starting Nov. 1, and expects to take final action next year.

However, on October 20th, the company filed a request that would increase electric bills:

Appalachian Power, along with Wheeling Power, today filed a request with the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) to update current rates for the Environmental Compliance Surcharge (ECS). The PSC initially approved the ECS in August 2021 for recovery of costs associated with meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules on Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) and Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG).

“This investment in environmental equipment will keep our Amos, Mountaineer and Mitchell plants in compliance with current EPA regulations through 2040,” said Aaron Walker, Appalachian Power president and COO. “We are on track to meet project cost estimates, as well as the EPA timeline requirements for placing the equipment in operation.”

The proposed $37.2 million ECS rate amount reflects historic and expected future costs for installing the equipment upgrades. If approved, it would add $2.84 to the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours, a 1.68 percent increase.

Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on powering a cleaner, brighter energy future for its customers and communities. AEP’s approximately 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 225,000 miles of distribution lines to safely deliver reliable and affordable power to nearly 5.6 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with nearly 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including approximately 5,800 megawatts of renewable energy.