Even as one Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner is publicly challenging the fuel adjustment costs of the state’s major public utilities, Oklahoma Gas & Electric tells its customers their monthly fuel charges will increase this month.
OG&E notified customers in their monthly bills that they can expect to see an increase of 4.8% to the fuel charge or approximately $5.46 more a month for the average residential customer.
“This charge is needed to collect fuel costs incurred through December 2022,” stated the utility in its alert that started with “Dear Customer.”
OG&E explained a portion of a customer’s monthly electric bill includes the cost of fuel used to generate electricity.
“To protect our customers from the external forces causing rising fuel costs, we have increased our natural gas storage capacity and changed our fuel purchasing practices to smooth the impact,” continued the utility.
The additional fuel costs will be collected over a 21-month period instead of the typical 12-month period.
“As rising inflation continues to create financial pressures for many customers, we want you to understand what goes into your bill, how we are working to keep bills as low as possible, and the tools available to help you manage your monthly bill,” claimed the utility.
“We are and will continue to take action to secure the lowest cost fuel possible and cannot profit from fuel purchase.”