Citing the costs of investment in Pittsburgh-area infrastructure, Duquesne Light Co. is asking permission from state regulators to raise customer bills by nearly 9 percent to raise an additional $134 million in annual revenue.
In a press release, the Downtown-based electric utility said it wants the extra money to “deploy new technologies, upgrade existing equipment and install new distribution infrastructure” for its base of customers across Allegheny and Beaver counties.
From 2013 to 2017, the utility said it spent nearly $1 billion to improve its network, and it plans to spend another $265 million this year.
“As we look to the future, we need to consider the energy infrastructure that will be required to efficiently and effectively provide a reliable source of electricity to our progressive and evolving region,” Rich Riazzi, the utility’s president and chief executive officer, stated in the release.
The utility’s requested increase amounts to an extra $8.65 per month for the average residential customer, or an increase of about 9 percent.
Commercial customers would see an increase of $28.77, or about 3 percent, per month, and industrial customers would see an increase of $434.77, or about 2 percent, per month.
The rate request must be reviewed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission — a regulatory process that usually takes about nine months.
Daniel Moore: dmoore@post-gazette.com, 412-263-2743 and Twitter @PGdanielmoore
First Published: March 29, 2018, 1:35 p.m.
Updated: March 29, 2018, 1:35 p.m.
