Kentucky Utilities is asking for a base rate hike of 13.6 percent. In a filing with the state Public Service Commission, the utility serving nearly two-thirds of Kentucky’s 120 counties cited aging infrastructure and the increased frequency and severity of natural disasters. Linda Bridwell is the executive director of the PSC, which will hear the case.
“They submit a number of different required financial exhibits that are part of the filing. They're all required in the statute and regulations as to what they have to file to support their case. The burden of proof is on the utility.”
KU filed the rate hike request on May 30. Bridwell said the PSC has 10 months to make a decision.
“We go through a round of, a couple rounds of discovery. The commission acts kind of in the judicial sense as the judge, then the applicant, the utility, is required to answer the questions.”
In KU’s case, some questions may be from the City of Lexington and state Attorney General’s office. According to KU, ongoing system investments have cut the number and duration of power outages by about a third.
