Hundreds of Indianapolis residents urge IURC to reject AES Indiana rate increase

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission held a field hearing to take public testimony on cause number 46258, the petition of Indianapolis Power & Light Company, doing business as AES Indiana, for authority to increase electric service rates and charges.

Speakers filled the room and urged the commission to deny or scale back the proposed increases. "Such a proposed rate increase on a basic service like electricity will force individuals and families to make hard choices between basic needs," said Andy Nielsen, City-County Councilor for District 14. Nielsen urged the commission to scrutinize how increases are distributed by customer class and to reform declining block rate structures.

The hearing matters because the commission’s decision will affect AES customers across Marion County and other counties AES serves. The petition seeks changes ranging from revised depreciation rates and accounting relief to a property-tax rider and new rate schedules; the commission incorporates public comments in the formal case record, and the docket…