Latest news with #PublicServiceCommission
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Duke Energy Plans Rate Increase
This article was first published on Rigzone here Duke Energy Corporation's Duke Energy Progress has requested a public review of the company's rates as it intends to lift prices. The company, serving 177,000 customers primarily in central and northeastern South Carolina, said an increase is justified due to increased work on system diversity and reliability. In its request to South Carolina's Public Service Commission, the company is seeking an overall revenue increase of $74.8 million, representing a 12.1 percent increase over current revenues. It said in a media release this is the first rate review it requested since 2022. 'We know families and businesses are juggling a lot and we do not take a request to increase rates lightly, but being upfront and timely with our request is the right thing to do and in the best interest of our customers', Tim Pearson, Duke Energy's South Carolina president, said. If approved, the monthly electricity bills for typical residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month would rise by $21.66 a month - from $144.85 per month to $166.51 - starting February 1, 2026. Commercial customers would see an average increase of 12.8 percent, while industrial customers would see an average increase of around 3.6 percent. The exact amount of increase per customer class may vary depending on how much additional revenue is needed to ensure the class covers the cost of serving them, the company said. Take control of your THOUSANDS of Oil & Gas jobs on Search Now >> 'This proposal reflects the investments we have made to strengthen the grid, improve storm readiness, maintain and enhance our generating fleet, and serve a growing customer base,' the company said. It said that previous investments in grid resilience proved critical when Hurricane Helene made its way across the Carolinas. 'Smart, self-healing technology installed across the Duke Energy Progress service territory helped to automatically restore more than 10,000 customer outages and saved more than 28,000 hours of total outage time, showing the value of the self-healing programs', the company said. To contact the author, email More From The Leading Energy Platform: Inpex Granted Production Concession for UAE Block Equinor Offered Another CO2 Exploration License in Norwegian North Sea ConocoPhillips Confirms Slagugle Oil Discovery in Norwegian Sea Lakes Blue Energy Secures Funding for Wombat-5 Drilling >> Find the latest oil and gas jobs on << Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
2 days ago
- Business
Under a hot summer sun, South Carolina's governor says energy law will keep air conditioners humming
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Under the hot South Carolina summer sun, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster held a ceremonial bill signing for a law he and other supporters said will make sure the rapidly growing state has the energy to run air conditioners and anything else well into the future. McMaster signed the bill into law more than a month ago. But Wednesday's ceremony was a chance to bring utility executives and other workers together with lawmakers to celebrate the promise from supporters that the law will clear the way to meet the power needs of the 1.5 million people the state has added this century — and its fast industrial growth. 'It is hot and promising to get hotter, so we'll be very quick here. This is of course to celebrate a great step for South Carolina,' McMaster said at the ceremony, which lasted less than 15 minutes before most everyone went back into the air-conditioned mansion. The law has immediate impacts. It clears the way for private Dominion Energy and state-owned Santee Cooper to work together on a 2,000-megawatt natural gas plant on the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Colleton County as long as regulators give their OK. Utilities now can appeal decisions from those regulators at the Public Service Commission directly to the South Carolina Supreme Court, meaning projects or rate cases won't be in limbo for years as they wind through the courts. Power companies can now ask for smaller rate increases every year instead of hitting customers with what was sometimes a double-digit increase to cover inflation and rising costs after four or five years. Also in this session, lawmakers cleared the way for cloud computer companies, utilities or others to offer to take over the long-abandoned project to build two new nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer site near Jenkinsville. Ratepayers paid billions of dollars on the project, which was abandoned in 2017, well before it generated a watt of power. The feasibility of restarting construction or whether a private entity or a utility could get the licenses and permissions that have lapsed has not been determined. The bill didn't get unanimous support. Some Democrats worried consumer protections and energy efficiency efforts were removed. Some Republicans and Democrats worried the state didn't set limits on data centers and that would allow the computer farms to suck up massive amounts of the new energy and raise costs to homeowners and others while providing few local benefits. But Wednesday was a day to celebrate for someone like Dominion Energy South Carolina President Keller Kissam sweating in his suit and tie instead of the short-sleeved polo he would prefer to wear. 'With the heat we experience in South Carolina and you've got to be able to produce 24/7,' Kissam said. 'Our customers expect when they flip a switch or bump the thermostat there's going to be enough electricity.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Special election scheduled for Tuscaloosa's House District 63 seat
Gov. Kay Ivey on June 16 signed a proclamation to set special election dates for the Alabama House District 63 seat, which includes much of downtown Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama. The party primaries for the seat will be held Sept. 30. If necessary, runoffs would be held Oct. 28. The general election is set for Jan. 13. This seat was previously held by Rep. Cynthia Lee Almond, who Ivey recently appointed as the president of the Public Service Commission. 'Rep. Cynthia Almond has served the people of House District 63 with integrity and purpose, and while her presence in the Legislature will be missed, I know her leadership will continue to shine as she steps into this vital statewide role,' said Ivey in a news release. 'Although Rep. Almond leaves big shoes to fill, I am confident that House District 63 will continue to showcase strong leadership and representation in Alabama. I encourage everyone in the district to make their vote count.' Almond, a Tuscaloosa-based attorney and business owner, has held the House District 63 seat since 2021. She succeeded Bill Poole, who left to become finance director in the Ivey administration. She was elected to the House District 63 seat without any opposition. Norman Crow, who now represents District 3 on the Tuscaloosa City Council, said June 12 that he plans to run in the special election for the House District 63 seat. So far, Crow is the only publicly announced candidate for House District 63. More: Tuscaloosa City Council member Norman Crow to run for Alabama House District 63 seat A native of Tuscaloosa, Crow graduated from the University of Alabama in 1990 with an accounting degree. He began his career in the energy sector, holding leadership roles with Southern Natural Gas, Tenneco Energy, Duke Energy, Reliant Energy and Innovative Energy Services. He later owned and operated DT Freight, a local transportation business, and now serves as a licensed real estate agent with Hamner Real Estate. Crow has served as chairman of the board for the Boys & Girls Club of West Alabama, the United Way of West Alabama, Chairman and the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce. Crow succeeded Almond on the Tuscaloosa City Council. He also served on the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education from 2013-17. Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@ This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Special election set to fill Cynthia Almond's seat in Legislature
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
1 Public Service Commission primary headed to a runoff
The Brief Former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Waites is headed to a runoff against Peter Hubbard. The runoff election is July 15. The winner of the primary will face incumbent Republican Fitz Johnson, who was appointed to the commission in 2021 by Gov. Brian Kemp. In the District 2 Republican primary, incumbent Tim Echols won the primary. He will face Democrat Alicia Johnson in November. ATLANTA - One of the 2025 Public Service Commission primaries is headed to a runoff. What we know The District 3 Democratic race has been narrowed down to two candidates after none of the three received 50% of the vote Tuesday. Former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Waites is headed to a runoff against Peter Hubbard. Waites earned 47% of the vote, while Hubbard received 32%. Robert Jones is out of the running after receiving 20% of the vote. The runoff election is July 15. The winner of the primary will face incumbent Republican Fitz Johnson, who ran unopposed in the primary. Johnson was appointed to the commission in 2021 by Gov. Brian Kemp and has never faced voters. He was originally scheduled to run in 2022 for the last two years of his predecessor's term . Instead, the District 3 winner can run again next year for a six-year term, after lawmakers rewrote the terms. In the District 2 Republican primary, incumbent Tim Echols won the primary. Echols has been on the Public Service Commission since 2011. Echols will face Democrat Alicia Johnson, who ran unopposed in the primary, come November. Dig deeper Georgia usually doesn't have statewide elections in odd-numbered years, but these were pushed back after elections were delayed by a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the statewide voting scheme as discriminatory to Black people. No Georgia Public Service Commission elections have been held since 2022 because of the lawsuit. Related: Georgia Public Service Commission election: What you need to know Why you should care The Georgia Public Service Commission is the body elected statewide that regulates utilities such as gas and electricity. It has power over what Georgia Power, the state's largest electric provider, can charge customers for electricity. The Source Information for this article came from the Secretary of State's election website and FOX 5 reporting.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Election Day in Georgia: See results for Public Service Commission primary races
Incumbent Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols convincingly won his primary election Tuesday night, setting himself up to run against Democrat Alicia Johnson for another term. The Republican energy service regulator who presides over District 2 defeated Lee Muns, GOP challenger. With only two counties left to report Tuesday night, Echols held more than 76% of the vote. Johnson, who will be Echols' challenger in November, ran unopposed. While Echols won decisively, a three-candidate Democratic field in District 3 failed to yield a clear winner. Keisha Sean Waites, Peter Hubbard and Robert Jones all ran with the goal of securing the nomination and facing off against incumbent Republican Fitz Johnson in November. Waites led the field with more than 47% of the vote Tuesday night with 157 of 159 counties reporting, but with no candidate grabbing 50% of the ballots cast, the race appeared set for a runoff. Hubbard, who was second in the vote with 32%, also would make it into the runoff if results held. Daniel Blackman, a former EPA Region 4 administrator and previous PSC candidate, was also running in this district but was disqualified after a judge ruled he did not provide enough evidence that he lived in District 3 for at least 12 months, as required by commission rules. The Georgia Public Service Commission is a five-member panel of energy regulators which reviews proposals from electric companies such as Georgia Power. These proposals outline how much the company plans to charge customers for electricity and where the company will get its energy — whether from solar, natural gas, coal, batteries, hydropower, or other sources. Find results from the two contested PSC races below.
