Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company has filed with the Arkansas Public Service Commission for a general rate increase of approximately $26 million.
In its filing, Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E) said that it is seeking recovery of costs for investments including a new power plant and improvements in its system of power lines, substations and related equipment to ensure that the company can reliably meet growing customer demand for electricity.
In a similar regulatory proceeding two years ago, OG&E was granted a $5 million rate increase to recover investments in a power plant acquired in 2004 and a new wind farm in northwestern Oklahoma. Fuel savings from these two electric-generation facilities more than offset the rate increase. The 2006 Arkansas rate order confined the increase to business and industry; residential customers received a slight rate decrease, the company said.
Brian Alford, spokesman for OG&E, said: We are pleased to deliver reliable electric power to our Arkansas customers at some of the lowest rates in the nation. And under our new plan, we intend to improve the reliability of our service while keeping our Arkansas rates well below the regional and national averages.