The Mississippi Public Service Commission on Jan. 2025 approved a set of routine utility filings, took administrative actions including opening two investigatory dockets for water associations, and adopted resolutions honoring two residents who died during recent severe storms. A planned show-cause hearing into the Holly Springs Utility Department was blocked by a Hinds County Circuit Court temporary restraining order and the order was entered into the PSC record.

Votes at a glance
- Mississippi Power — Plant Daniel accounting order (docket 2024-UN-122): Staff recommended allowing Mississippi Power to record Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) interest in Plant Daniel in its retail rates and to establish a regulatory liability account (Daniel Acquisition Reserve) to record proceeds from FPL to offset future ownership costs. Staff reported the assets have a net book value of $0 on Mississippi Power’s books and that there is no immediate material rate impact; commissioners approved the staff recommendation by voice vote.

- Mississippi Power — Fuel cost recovery (FCR2) and Energy Cost Management (ECM2A) factors (docket 2024-UN-130): Mississippi Power proposed a mitigation that temporarily defers recovery of approximately $25.2 million of ECM under-recovery and lowers projected fuel commodity prices in the FCR2 rider, producing a net zero change to a 1,000 kWh residential bill. Staff recommended approval and the commission approved the mitigated factors.

- NT Spark — Lifeline eligible telecommunications carrier expansion (docket 2024-UA-133): NT Spark requested expansion of its Lifeline ETC designation to additional counties (Calhoun, Grenada, Montgomery, Pontotoc, Webster and Yalobusha) to provide low-income lifeline services in areas within Natchez Trace Electric Power Association’s service area; staff said NT Spark has financial, managerial and technical qualifications and recommended approval; the commission approved the application.

- Great River Utility Operating Company LLC — annual water/wastewater operations report (docket 2024-UN-27): The commission approved the company’s annual report after a brief discussion that acknowledged challenging governance and the need for tough decisions to address struggling utilities.

- Opened investigatory dockets — Reedtown Water Association and Pineywoods Water Association: The commission entered orders opening new dockets to investigate alleged acts or omissions that may violate statutes or rules; Commissioner Stamps was assigned as the hearing examiner for the Reedtown matter and staff emphasized the proceedings are fact-finding to determine any breaches in service quality obligations. The Pineywoods order was described as identical in scope and also opened for investigation.

- Resolutions — Honoring storm victims Tykeria Rogers and Geneva Carr: The commission unanimously adopted resolutions honoring the lives of Tykeria Rogers, an 18-year-old Natchez High School senior who died in storms on Dec. 28, 2024, and Geneva Carr, a Lowndes County resident who died after losing power while dependent on home oxygen on Dec. 29, 2024. Commissioners urged attention to storm preparedness and checking on vulnerable neighbors.

Administrative items
- Approved minutes of the commission’s December 2024 meeting.

What the actions mean
The Mississippi Power accounting order allows the company to record the transferred assets and place certain proceeds from Florida Power & Light into a regulatory liability account to offset future incremental costs; staff said that, on its face, this treatment will not immediately affect retail rates because the assets’ net book value is recorded as zero on Mississippi Power’s books and FPL will pay up to $45 million at closing to offset incremental costs. The FCR2/ECM2A mitigation is intended to smooth short-term bill impacts by deferring part of the company’s recovery.

Next steps and implementation
- Staff will continue to monitor and follow up on filings where additional information is required.
- For the Reedtown and Pineywoods investigations, PSC staff will collect evidence and determine whether statutory or rule violations occurred; the orders assign procedural responsibilities and set the matters into the commission’s investigatory pipeline.

Ending
Commissioners closed the meeting after public remarks and urged residents to check on neighbors, prepare for storms and thank utility crews and linemen for restoration work.