Md. Public Service Commission OKs $28M Potomac Edi

Daily Record Staff//October 25, 2023//

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To help prevent lengthy service disruptions during severe weather and meet the energy demands of a rapidly growing population, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) has reviewed and approved new base distribution rates for Maryland customers of Potomac Edison, a FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary.

The $28 million rate adjustment will build upon service reliability enhancements made in recent years by providing:

Ongoing tree trimming to help prevent tree-related equipment damage, which is a leading cause of power outages.
Thorough inspections of lines, poles and substations, including the use of helicopters and technology to identify issues that cannot be seen from the ground or by eye.
Critical maintenance of newly installed equipment that helps prevent or minimize the impact of power outages, particularly during severe weather. By the end of 2023, the company will have installed dozens of reclosers that allow crews to isolate a problem on one portion of a power line while keeping electricity flowing through the rest of the line.

Potomac Edison customers will continue to pay the lowest electric rates among Maryland’s investor-owned regulated electric distribution companies. The updated rates in the Oct. 18 order from the PSC went into effect and are now active. The bill impact of the newly approved rates will be partially offset at the beginning of 2024 by a decrease in the Electric Distribution Investment Surcharge (EDIS), resulting in a 3.5% overall increase – or $4.62 monthly – for the average Potomac Edison residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month.

Potomac Edison has grown significantly in the past five years, now serving approximately 20,000 more Maryland customers than it did during its last base distribution rate review in 2018. Prior to that rate update, the company did not increase its base rate for nearly 25 years. The company currently provides power to about 285,000 customers in all or parts of Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties. Potomac Edison also serves about 151,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia who are unaffected by the rate review.