Ohio Edison, Illuminating Company, Toledo Edison file for $93.6M in electric rate increases

The three Ohio-based electric utilities of FirstEnergy Corp. – Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, and Toledo Edison – recently filed to recover investments related to system and customer assistance improvements since 2007, for a total of $93.6 million in increased rates.

Subject to approval by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), this review and approval could lead to an increase of about $1.88 per month on the electric bills of the average residential customer. However, at the end of July, these utilities will also introduce a supplemental filing to incorporate the impacts from PUCO’s recent decision on the Ohio Electric Security Plan V case.

FirstEnergy noted that its companies have invested billions into the modernization and strengthening of the Ohio grid since 2007, including $516 million under the four-year, 2019 Grid Modernization Plan. Such endeavors included the installation of automated devices and technology capable of sensing outages and automatically transferring customers to adjacent power lines to cut the number of those impacted by outages. It credited these updates with having reduced the size and length of power outages.

Looking ahead, FirstEnergy also used the filing to propose investments into the distribution system, storm restoration work and a bill assistance initiative to better educate eligible customers of energy assistance programs.

The public will have the opportunity to comment on this filing through PUCO’s public comment process.