Dominion Virginia Power seeks rate increase

By Bryan Gentry

Published: May 12, 2008

Dominion Virginia Power, the electricity provider for parts of Appomattox and Campbell Counties, is seeking permission to raise its fuel surcharge on July 1.

If approved, the fuel rate increases would raise the average 1,000 kilowatt-hour customer’s bill to about $107 per month, a $16 per month increase.

The company also estimates small commercial customers using 15,000 kilowatt-hours per month would see their bills go up $249 a month. Larger industrial users could see increases of thousands of dollars per month.

Dominion last week filed its application for the fuel rate change with the State Corporation Commission, which must approve increases to the fuel surcharge in the Commonwealth.

The company said the increase is necessary to pay for the skyrocketing cost of coal and other fuel used to create electricity.

In the past four years, coal’s price has gone up 143 percent and the price of natural gas has gone up 129 percent, according to Dominion’s Web site.

The company said that even after its proposed increase in the surcharge, its residential customers’ bills would be nearly 6 percent below the national average of $113 monthly for electric bills.

The State Corporation Commission is inviting the public to comment on the proposed increases.

The commission is accepting comments online at scc.virginia.gov/case in the section for comments and notices.

Comments can also be mailed to Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, VA 23218-2118, until June 19.

All electronic or written comments must refer to case number PUE-2008-00039.

The commission will hold a public hearing in Richmond on June 24 prior to deciding the case.