By Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s highest court has rejected a state Public Service Commission order that disallowed Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power from recovering $231.8 million in fuel costs from ratepayers.
The Supreme Court of Appeals on Wednesday filed an opinion reversing the PSC’s January 2024 order because it found the PSC order was based on “extra-record evidence,” of which the American Electric Power-controlled utilities weren’t given notice.
The companies had appealed the PSC order, which had allowed the rest of their requested cost recovery — $321.1 million — to be assessed to customers through a fuel cost rate hike starting Sept. 1, 2024.
In Wednesday’s opinion authored by Justice John Hutchison, the court agreed with the PSC’s reasoning for denying the $231.8 million in cost recovery — that the utilities failed to manage their coal-fired power plant operations prudently.
