ATLANTA – The higher fuel costs Georgians have been paying at the gas pumps soon could be reflected in their electric bills.
Georgia Power filed a request with the state Public Service Commission (PSC) Tuesday to recover $2.1 billion in additional fuel costs the Atlanta-based utility has incurred during the last two years and that are projected to occur during the next two years.
If approved, the proposal would add $17 to $23 to the monthly bill of the average Georgia Power customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours of power each month.
“Just as Georgians paid higher prices at the gas pump in 2022, Georgia Power also paid more for the natural gas (on average three times more) and other fuels we used to generate electricity,” Georgia Power spokesman Jacob Hawkins said Tuesday.
“These increases are solely a result of rising energy prices – and Georgia Power earns zero profit from these fuel costs.”
Georgia Power executives first announced the company would be seeking fuel costs recovery this month last year during testimony before the PSC at hearings on Georgia Power’s 2022 rate hike request.
The commission approved a $1.8 billion rate increase for the utility in December, which raised the average residential customer’s monthly bill by $3.60. The rate hike took effect last month.
Georgia Power’s final requested amount and approximate bill impacts, which will reflect more recent fuel prices, will be provided in April.