By Mike Tony, Williamson Daily News
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Public Service Commission has approved rate hikes to cover pipeline replacement and expansion costs for Mountaineer Gas Co. and Hope Gas Inc. that will extend yearslong trends of bill increases.
The PSC on Monday announced that it was approving average residential monthly bill increases of:
- $2.63 (2.9%) for Mountaineer Gas
- $6.08 (6.3%) for Hope Gas
- $6.41 (6.1%) for Peoples Gas
- $4.54 (7%) for Southern Public Service
- $5.13 (7.4%) for Standard-Bazzle
Plan is to spend $58M-plus on mains, other upgrades
The Mountaineer Gas rates are slated to take effect Jan. 1 and follow a July company proposal to spend $418 million on infrastructure replacement, system upgrades and expansion projects from 2025 through 2029, including $74 million in 2025.
The PSC signed off on Mountaineer Gas’ request for an increase of annual revenues to cover infrastructure replacement and expansion totaling roughly $18.5 million — an increase of nearly $8.9 million, or 91.6%, compared with annual revenues generated by the company’s current approved rates, per the agency.
