Members of the United Steelworkers have been hoping for a favorable ruling from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia regarding a special rate proposal for the Felman plant in New Haven. That favorable ruling came down on Thursday. Pictured are members of USW 5171 during a visit to the Mason County Courthouse in February.
NEW HAVEN, W.Va. — A collective sigh of relief could be heard from the manufacturing sector of Mason County on Thursday after Felman Production received a favorable ruling from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia.
Without the ruling, Felman Production officials had said its New Haven plant, which manufactures silicomanganese (SiMn), would close, taking hundreds of jobs, many filled by the United Steelworkers, with it.
“This is a win win for Felman and the people who work there,” Mason County Commission President Rick Handley said.
Handley provided testimony to the PSC in support of Felman’s proposal to consider being given a special rate for electricity as provided under legislation passed by the West Virginia Legislature in 2012.
The legislation is for special rates for energy-intensive consumers under certain circumstances.
“This is some positive news we’ve need in Mason County and not just because of the tax income,” Handley said. “It’s great news for people who work there and the communities in the Bend Area.”
The PSC released a statement summarizing the order that was posted in its entirely on its website. The statement says the special rate plan approved on Thursday would give Felman a discount up to $9 million per year off its full electricity rate. The rate of the discount Felman could receive would be calculated each month based on the actual gross margin available in the SiMn market. The gross margin is calculated to be the difference between the market price of SiMn and the market price of the major raw materials that go into SiMn: manganese ore, coke and coal.
“The plan satisfies the policy goals of the Legislature, addresses the concerns of Felman regarding the reopening of its plant, balances the interests of Appalachian Power Company, APCo’s present and future customers and the state’s economy, and was designed not to cause an additional financial burden on other APCo customers, including residential customers,” according to the PSC release.
Felman Production was contacted about the news with spokesperson John McKenna saying the company would be sending out a statement as soon as possible, though it would likely not be ready by press time on Thursday as the news continued to break. It’s not known if Felman will agree to the specifics of the order and approved rate. If so, APCo and Felman are to enter into a contract, which is to be filed with the PSC by June 30. If the agreement is entered into, it’s not yet known how soon the plant can become fully operational again…
