Duquesne Light has asked permission to raise the rates it charges customers for electricity, but those customers will get the chance to offer input before a final decision is made.
Duquesne Light has asked permission to raise the rates it charges customers for electricity, but those customers will get the chance to offer input before a final decision is made.
The state Public Utility Commission will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on June 14 at the Park Inn by Radisson in Big Beaver. The hearing, which will be overseen by an administrative law judge, will give residents the chance to offer input on Duquesne Light’s proposed rate hike.
Duquesne Light in April informed the PUC that it wished to increase its rate for its 600,000 customers in the region. If approved, the monthly electric bill for an average residential customer using 600 kilowatt-hours would increase by 9 percent, while the average commercial bill would increase by 3 percent.
The company said the rate increase could result in about $133.8 million in annual base revenue. The money would be used to deploy new technologies, upgrade existing equipment and install new distribution infrastructure across Allegheny and Beaver counties.
The PUC will spend the rest of this year investigating whether or not the rate increase is warranted. Part of that process is holding public hearings to solicit input from residents.
The PUC must issue a final decision by Dec. 20. Any testimony recorded during the public hearings will factor into the commission’s final decision.
Anyone wishing to offer comment can show up to the hearing without registering first.
In addition to the local hearing, the PUC will hold another public hearing in downtown Pittsburgh on June 14.