Energy Co. Wants Customers To Pay For Wind Storm Damage In Ohio

The windstorm that knocked out power to thousands of residents this past fall could cost Duke Energy Ohio customers almost $31 million.

The utility company filed late Monday, Dec. 22, with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to change its accounting methods to track expenses incurred while servicing customers left without power Sept. 14 following the remnants of Hurricane Ike.

Duke estimates that more than 572,700 Ohio customers were without power, some for as little as five minutes, after the storm. Nearly 3,000 employees and contractors were called up to repair damages and staff call centers. The company estimates storm-related expenses will amount to $31 million.

After accounting its expenses, it is the intention of Duke to recover those costs through a temporary distribution rider on all resident and commercial customer bills over a period of three years. The company serves about 690,000 customers in Ohio, according to the filing.

Cincy Fan 44 wrote:I wonder if we can expect the same from Indiana/Michigan Power??? Does anybody know if they're a publicly-traded company?