Florida Power & Light customers could face increased electric bills in April after the utility got hit in 2022 by hurricanes and higher-than-expected natural gas costs.
FPL said Monday it will ask the state Public Service Commission to approve collecting $1.3 billion from customers to recoup costs related to Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole. It also will seek to collect about $2.1 billion because of high natural gas prices in 2022 — though that would be partially offset by reducing the amount FPL expects to collect for 2023 gas costs by $1 billion.
In addressing rates, utilities point to a benchmark of residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month. Former Gulf Power customers in Northwest Florida who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity saw their bills go down a penny in January to $155.60. But the bills are slated to go up to $159.79 in February and to $173.09 in April.
Ian made landfall Sept. 28 as a Category 4 hurricane in Lee and Charlotte counties before crossing the state. FPL provides electricity in some of the areas hardest hit by the storm, including parts of Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota and DeSoto counties. It also, for example, serves much of Volusia County, which sustained damage after Ian went through Central Florida.
Utilities have grappled for the past year with high costs of natural gas, which plays a major role in fueling power plants. The Public Service Commission meets each fall to consider fuel costs that will be passed on to customers in the ensuing year, but utilities also are able to seek to recoup additional costs if the projections are too low.
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