Beginning on Sept. 1, the average Appalachian Power residential customer will see their bill increase about 38 cents for every 1,000 kw/month. This will amount to a $4.56 bill increase per year for each residential customer.
This surcharge was authorized by the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) on Aug. 4 when they announced that they had granted Appalachian Power Company and Wheeling Power Company a certificate of convenience and necessity to make internal modifications at the Amos, Mountaineer and Mitchell coal-fired generating plants. These modifications will make the plants operable until 2040.
The Amos plant is located about 15 miles northwest of Charleston on the Kanawha River. The Mountaineer plant is located near Point Pleasant on the Ohio River and the Mitchell plant is located near Moundsville on the Ohio River.
“The commission is very concerned about a likely shortage of electricity that shutting down the Mitchell plant prematurely would cause,” said PSC Chairman Charlotte Lane. “We recognize that in the future, for new power supply resources, we may have to rely more on intermittent resources such as wind and solar. It is premature, however, to begin abandoning our traditional baseload power supply resources, which can be upgraded to meet environmental requirements.”
The companies’ only resale customer in West Virginia is Black Diamond Power Company based in Sophia, WV, according to information provided in a legal announcement in March.
Project completion is expected to be achieved by 2026.
In the American Electric Power (AEP) Climate Impact Analysis Report published in March, AEP chairman Nicholas K. Akins wrote “The journey to a clean energy future is complex and requires a steady, measured approach. At AEP, we are committed to making the energy we provide as clean as possible, as fast as we can, all without compromising reliability, affordability, or the security of the electric power system.” Later, he wrote “climate change is a top issue of engagement with many different stakeholders . . . We reviewed our carbon emission reduction goals as part of this process and have accelerated them to achieve an 80% reduction by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050 (from a 2000 baseline).”
The Commission’s Consumer Advocate Division, West Virginia Energy Users Group, the Sierra Club, West Virginia Citizen Action Group, West Virginia Coal Association, Solar United Neighbors and Energy Efficient were all granted intervenor status in the case.
APCo/WPCo serves 387,897 customers across 23 counties in West Virginia.
