ATLANTA — A nearly 12% rate increase Georgia Power is seeking is just one of four the utility will be requesting during the next three years, a staff lawyer for the state Public Service Commission said Tuesday.
If the PSC approves all four, the average residential customer bill could soar by $55 to $60 a month, not just the $16.29 monthly increase in base rates the company is asking for, Preston Thomas, representing the commission’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff, said on the opening day of hearings on the rate hike request.
“Staff have concern with all of these different requests for rate increases in such a short period of time and the impact it could have on consumers,” Thomas told commissioners.
The rate hike, which Georgia Power proposed in June, would take effect on Jan. 1. The increase is front-loaded, meaning $14.32 of the additional…
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