Potomac Edison files base rate case with the Public Service Commission of Maryland

Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., recently filed a comprehensive base rate case with the Public Service Commission of Maryland (PSC), its first base rate case in Maryland in approximately 25 years.

The rate case includes new initiatives to install more automated distribution equipment, replace aging underground electric cable and trim trees more frequently.

“Using good management and thoughtful planning over the years, we have enhanced service reliability for our customers while holding the line on rates,” James A. Sears, Jr., FirstEnergy’s president of Maryland Operations, said. “We are committed to sustaining these efforts by offering new programs to trim trees more often and install smarter equipment on our lines and in our substations that can help continue to reduce the size, length and frequency of outages.”

The proposed initiatives include installing electronic substation reclosers that can analyze real-time data and be controlled remotely to minimize the number of customers affected by service interruptions on 68 distribution circuits. It would also include moving from a five-year cycle to a four-year cycle for trimming trees, creating a patrol to look for trees beyond right-of-way corridors that may pose hazards to electric lines and replacing more than 1,000 miles of aging underground electrical cable.

If the PSC approves the proposal, the typical Maryland residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours would see their monthly bill increase by approximately 6 percent or $6.00 per month from $105 to $111. If approved, Potomac Edison expects new rates to go into effect in the first quarter of 2019.