Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The price increase authorized last week for We Energies customers will take effect with bills processed today, the utility said Monday in a filing with state regulators.
The state's largest utility received permission Thursday to pass along the higher cost of natural gas used in some of its power plants as well as the higher shipping costs imposed on the utility by railroads shipping coal to Wisconsin from Wyoming mines.
The utility estimates that customers' bills are rising 5.1 percent on average because of this fuel surcharge and another that went into effect in April. These surcharges will be felt most by large manufacturers, who face a 6.9 percent price increase on average. Business customers can expect a 5.1 percent hike and residential customers’ bills will rise by 4.1 percent.
For residential customers, the two fuel surcharges amount to $3.52 per month for the typical residential customer using 750 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month.
Public Service Commission rules allow utilities to pass on higher fuel costs to customers if those costs are expected to be 2 percent higher during the year than the utility had forecast last year. The price of natural gas — and diesel used by railroads — is up sharply so far this year.
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