Regulators, Utility Split on Mississippi Power Plant Rates
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Regulators and Mississippi Power Co. disagree over how much money the company should get for the functioning portion of its Kemper County power plant.
In a Monday filing, the unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. said it wants customers to pay for $277 million more in assets than the Public Utilities Staff believes is justified. Although the difference would initially have little impact on rates, Public Utilities Staff Executive Director Virden Jones said Tuesday that customers would pay substantially more over time under Mississippi Power's plan.
The three-member Public Service Commission in June directed the staff and utility to the bargaining table, with commissioners saying that Kemper should run on natural gas rather than gasified lignite coal, that rates should stay level or fall, and that customers shouldn't pay for the part of the plant that was supposed to gasify coal and remove pollutants.
Commissioners said they will set a status hearing to decide how to move forward if the staff and company can't reach an agreement. Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley and Central District Commissioner Cecil Brown both said they still hope an agreement can be reached. If Mississippi Power doesn't settle, commissioners could try to revoke the license for the entire Kemper facility, which would mean the utility would collect nothing.
Read more: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2017/aug/23/regulators-utility-split-mississippi-power-plant-r/