Dive Brief:
- Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is investigating FirstEnergy Solutions' plan to charge customers a one-off fee of $5 to $15 to help pay for the extra costs of obtaining electricity during January’s Polar Vortex.
- The fee would apply regardless of whether customers had a fixed-rate or discount price contract. Business customers would have to pay up to an extra 3% of their annual power costs under the new plan.
- 2.1 million customers in six states would be expected to pay the fee.
Dive Insight:
FirstEnergy Solutions is the largest competitive supplier in many of the areas the utility operates in, meaning it paid more in Polar Vortex costs than any other supplier.
FirstEnergy Solutions’ customer contracts state that the company can charge a one-off fee to cover costs from this kind of event, but regulators say the charge is unusually high. Pennsylvania PUC Chairman Robert Powelson blasted the fee recently, saying there was a "stench associated with" it.