PG&E Rates Likely To Shoot Up

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Sonora, CA — The California Public Utilities Commission is reviewing proposed rate plans for Pacific Gas and Electric.

The company had initially proposed a plan to increase revenue by 26%, but the two proposals released by the CPUC would instead increase rates by a, lesser, maximum of 13%.

The Associated Press reports that the non-profit Utility Reform Network, which advocates on behalf of ratepayers, estimates that one plan would increase bills for the average residential customer by $28 per month by 2026 and the other would increase bills by $24.

PG&E, the nation’s largest utility company, provides services to a 70,000 square mile area in northern and central California.

PG&E’s pending rate increase has been on hold for two years. The commission will vote on November 2 on whether to increase rates by about 9% under one plan or 13% under another.