JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — In three out of seven motions last week, the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) addressed KCP&L and KCP&L GMO.
Underneath the cloak of legal terminology, the PSC approved a renewable energy standard rate adjustment mechanism (RESRAM) charge on the bills of electric customers of KCP&L-Greater Missouri Operations Company (KCP&L-GMO). The charge will appear as a separate item on the monthly electric bill of KCP&L-GMO customers and is expected to begin in December 2014. The RESRAM charge is designed to recover costs associated with Missouri’s Renewable Energy Standard.
For a typical residential customer, the RESRAM charge will be approximately $0.81 a month. KCP&L-GMO sought the RESRAM to allow the electric company to adjust rates outside of the context of a general electric rate case to reflect prudently incurred renewable energy standard costs. Those costs will be reviewed periodically by the Public Service Commission to ensure they were prudently incurred.
The agreement approved by the Commission was submitted by Renew Missouri, KCP&L-GMO, the Public Service Commission Staff and the Office of the Public Counsel. The Office of the Public Counsel is a separate state agency that represents the general public in cases before the Public Service Commission.
With almost half the new orders of the agenda meeting addressing KCP&L, Missourians will continue to see even more of KCP&L, as the company has filed an electric rate case with the PSC seeking to increase annual electric revenues by approximately $120.9 million. According the company, a typical residential customer would see an increase of approximately $14 a month under the rate request. Applications to intervene and participate in this case must be filed no later than November 20, 2014
KCP&L-GMO provides electric service to approximately 314,900 customers in Missouri.
Kansas City Power & Light serves approximately 270,000 electric customers in the Missouri counties of Carroll, Cass, Chariton, Clay, Howard, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Pettis, Platte, Randolph and Saline.
For some other electricity consumers in Missouri looking forward to reviewing the performance of their electricity company, the deadline for applications to intervene and participate in Ameren Missouri’s case regarding their 2014 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), has passed. Such a filing is required under Commission rules for all investor-owned electric utilities in Missouri.
The purpose of the IRP rule is to ensure that investor-owned electric utilities, such as Ameren Missouri, consider all options, including demand-side efficiency and energy management measures, so as to provide safe, reliable and efficient electric service to the public at reasonable rates, in a manner that serves the public interest.
The next PSC meeting is Wednesday, November 12. Empire Electric, Ameren, Empire District Gas, and Missouri Gas Energy are expected to have orders addressed regarding their respective cases.
