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Ohio Consumers' Counsel tells Greene County commissioners AES Ohio plan could raise distribution charges about $13.78 a month
Summary
Maureen Willis of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel told Greene County commissioners that AES Ohio’s three-year multi-rate plan filed under House Bill 15 would raise distribution charges incrementally beginning in 2027 and could amount to about $13.78 per month over three years; OCC is reviewing the filing and seeking discovery from the utility.
Maureen Willis, Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, told the Greene County Board of Commissioners on April 30 that AES Ohio has filed a three-year multi-rate plan under House Bill 15 that would increase distribution charges for consumers beginning in 2027.
Willis said the proposal, if adopted as filed, would raise distribution charges in each of three years and estimated the total effect as about $13.78 per month when fully implemented over the three-year period. She told the board the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) will review thousands of pages of material, request discovery, and examine whether the projects AES Ohio cites are necessary and appropriately categorized (for example, whether costs relate to third parties such as data centers).
"This is the first application relying on forecasts rather than historical data of usage and costs," Willis said, noting the procedural role of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in reviewing and adjusting any amounts.
Commissioner Tom Koogler asked about AES’s pro forma and project breakdowns, whether projects such as data centers are driving costs, OCC’s review strategy, how consumers will be notified, and whether OCC is coordinating with the County Commissioners Association of Ohio. Willis said OCC is supplying information on its website about how consumers can participate and provide input to the PUCO and that OCC is still in an analysis phase and has not yet taken a formal position.
Kathryn Metz, OCC senior outreach and education specialist, said she has worked with the local Council on Aging and that roughly half of the seniors she works with are struggling financially and often cut back on food to pay bills. Metz described OCC outreach identifying available energy assistance programs.
The presentation was informational; no vote or formal county action on the AES filing was taken at the meeting. The OCC handout was entered into the meeting journal.
