Kentucky’s attorney general has reached an agreement with two utilities on significantly decreasing rate increases.
On Monday, Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced his Office of Rate Intervention (ORI) reached a settlement agreement with Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities (KU) to save Kentuckians $113.9 million in proposed electric and gas rate increases.
“As the watchdog for Kentucky ratepayers, we pursued a settlement with LG&E and KU that saves Kentuckians more than $113 million in proposed utility rate increases and ensures the companies will not impose an additional rate increase before July 1, 2025,” Cameron said. “The settlement also seeks to maximize the lifespan of three Kentucky coal-fired generating plants and their benefit to consumers. I appreciate all the parties coming to the table and working together to reach an agreement.”
In November of last year, LG&E and KU filed applications with the Public Service Commission (PSC) seeking to increase rates by $331.3 million, officials said, an increase of 10.4 percent for KU customers, 11.83 percent for LG&E Electric customers and 9.13 percent for LG&E Gas customers.
LG&E and KU are the largest investor-owned utility companies in the commonwealth, and the proposed increases would have significantly raised rates for the more than one million Kentucky customers.
The settlement agreement saves Kentuckians $113.9 million, or 34 percent of the proposed rate increases. The companies settled for a reduced increase and agreed not to impose new rate increases before July 1, 2025.
The terms of the settlement specify that the companies will apply an economic surcredit to the increases in the first year. In year two, the increases for residential customers will be 7.2 percent for KU and LG&E Electric customers and 6.4 percent for LG&E Gas customers.
The settlement also ensures that Kentuckians experience no increase to the residential monthly minimum charge, a cost that is billed to customers each month regardless of utility usage. Low-income rate payers will also receive additional assistance through an increased shareholder contribution arising from the settlement agreement.
The settlement also eliminates LG&E’s and KU’s request for accelerated depreciation rates of three Kentucky coal-fired generating plants utilized by the companies (Mill Creek I and II and Brown III), ensuring Kentucky ratepayers receive a greater benefit on the investment, which may help the coal plants remain in operation longer. The agreement also provides for a coal mining economic development option under existing tariffs to assist new or expanding coal mining operations.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
