FORT WAYNE, Ind. – A Joint Petition was filed on May 14 with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) by 10 Indiana energy companies (including I&M) to seek determination of matters affecting energy companies and its customers related to COVID-19. The Indiana Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) filed a separate, related petition.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) issued an order on the petitions on June 29 to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indiana’s energy companies.
Within its order the IURC extended the moratorium on disconnection for nonpayment an additional 45 days, to Aug. 14.
The IURC authorized energy companies to defer for future recovery those costs associated with its disconnection moratorium. It ruled against allowing energy companies to recover COVID-19 lost revenues related to customer load reductions. Other costs and expenses associated with COVID-19 and future cost recovery will be examined within Phase 2 of the IURC’s deliberative process to examine the impact of the pandemic on energy companies and customers.
Finally, the IURC encouraged energy companies to continue to work with customers that are having difficulty paying their electric bills to establish payment arrangements.
I&M voluntarily acted to help our customers by halting the disconnection of service for nonpayment, and Governor Holcomb issued an executive order on March 19 requiring all utilities to halt disconnections.
“I&M respects the decision by the IURC to balance the interests of all concerned in these challenging times brought on by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Toby Thomas, President and COO of Indiana Michigan Power. “Our team at I&M is committed to ensuring that when our customers flip the light switch, cool their homes, or operate their business, the energy to power their lives is available 24/7.”
I&M continues to work with stakeholders on the remaining COVID-19 cost and expense related items contained within the original petitions. There is no immediate impact on I&M customers from this regulatory request and any future impact would be reconciled within a subsequent public regulatory process.
I&M has been in constant communication with our customers on payment options to assist them during this time.
We encourage any customer who is in need of assistance to contact us at 1-800-311-4634 to talk to a specialist who can help, or go to IndianaMichiganPower.com/Assistance
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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 599,000 customers. More than two-thirds of its energy delivered in 2019 was emission-free. I&M has at its availability various sources of generation including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, more than 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Brian Bergsma
Director of Communications and Government Affairs
317-670-3561
bebergsma@aep.com