AEP Ohio Files Revised Tariffs For All Customer Classes

Under new tariff structure, rate impacts will vary by customer class

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Feb 28, 2012, 06:02 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), filed today with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) new proposed tariffs that continue the provisions, terms and conditions of the company's previous Electric Security Plan (ESP) as ordered by the PUCO Feb. 23.

The new tariffs reflect the full cost of fuel, carrying costs for environmental investments, the remaining cost of fuel charges deferred and capped in previous years, and the removal of riders previously approved under the stipulation agreement. The new rates, once approved by the PUCO, will have varying impacts for customers. Many customers will see slightly lower rates, while some customers, particularly industrial and manufacturing customers, will see increases.

Today's filing proposes rates and tariffs for two rate zones to reflect the pre-merger service territories of Ohio Power and Columbus Southern Power (CSP). As ordered, rates for all customer classes will return to rates charged as of December 2011. Due to the elimination of the stipulation agreement, rates charged to customers in the Ohio Power rate zone will include the portion of the actual cost of fuel used in previous years but deferred for later cost recovery.

For the average residential customer in the Ohio Power rate zone using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month, approval of the rates would result in a decrease in a customer's total monthly bill of approximately $1.78 or 1.5 percent compared with bills charged in January and February of this year. For the average residential customer in the CSP rate zone using 1,000 kWh per month, approval of these rates would result in a decrease of approximately $5.37 or 4.3 percent when compared with January and February 2012. These averages are based on customers who receive their generation, transmission and distribution service through AEP Ohio. Estimates cannot be given for any customer who has selected a competitive retail generation supplier. Actual percentage changes in bills will vary for individual customers depending on their energy usage.

AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at aepohio.com.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP's transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP's utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP's headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.