FPL customers likely to see higher fuel charges in ’22 along with big rate increase
THE COMMISSION IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE UP
THE REQUEST
AND THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION ON DEC. 7.
Florida Power & Light should be able to collect an additional $810 million from customers next year because of higher-thanexpected natural gas costs, staff members of the state Public Service Commission recommended on Tuesday.
If approved, the fuelcost charge to consumers will be added to monthly bills that were already scheduled to go higher in 2022 because of recently approved rate increases that roll out over the next four years.
Florida utilities are generally
allowed to pass through costs to customers for fuel used at power plants.
Utilities each year file projected fuel costs that regulators then use to determine how much will be charged to customers in the subsequent year. FPL made such a filing Sept. 3, with regulators approving it early this month.
But the utility on Nov. 9 requested what is known as a “mid-course correction,” a sort of add-on to what was approved earlier.
The $810 million sought by FPL represents gas costs above projections for the final months of this year and for 2022.
The commission is scheduled to take up the request and the staff recommendation during a Dec. 7 meeting.
If the request is approved, FPL would begin collecting the additional money in January.
For residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month — a common industry benchmark — the request would translate to paying $6.82 or $6.83 a month more than what had been expected in January, according to the filing.
Using the 1,000 kWh hours as a benchmark, FPL customers were already going to be paying $12.15 a month more next year because of the rate increase granted by the PSC. Adding the fuel cost to the rate increase takes the monthly bill for 1,000 kWh higher by almost $19 a month.
Tampa Electric Co. last week filed a similar proposal because of higherthan-expected gas prices, and Duke Energy Florida also has warned that it might have to revamp fuel costs.