(Press Release)
Today, Oncor filed for a rate review with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and 204 cities, as previously committed to in an agreement with state leaders and other important stakeholders. If approved as requested, and if all costs are passed through to retail customers, this review would result in an increase of 2.7 percent or $5.09 per month for an average residential consumer.
Oncor’s rates only cover the use of its transmission and distribution wires in Texas. Oncor does not own or sell the electricity delivered over its wires. The price actually charged to consumers for electricity is set by each consumer’s retail electric provider who typically passes Oncor’s delivery rates on to the consumer. Unlike the retail electric providers, Oncor cannot change its rates without permission from the PUC and Oncor has not had a rate review since 2001. Since that time, costs for most things from gasoline to health care to equipment have risen.
“Oncor understands that these are difficult economic times for all Texans. That is why we work every day to ensure our delivery charges are some of the lowest in the state while our service quality is among the best,” said Bob Shapard, Chief Executive Officer of Oncor. “We agreed to file this rate review as a part of our commitment to city and state leaders, and our filing reflects our current costs to provide electric delivery service. However, even with this increase, Oncor’s delivery charges will remain among the lowest in the state.”
The PUC, cities and participating parties are expected to set a schedule for consideration of Oncor’s request. A final resolution of Oncor’s proposal would likely occur in 2009. At that point, any authorized rate increases will be charged to retail electric providers (REPs). The REPs can then decide whether or not to pass these costs on to consumers.
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Oncor is a regulated electric distribution and transmission business that uses superior asset management skills to provide reliable electricity delivery to consumers. Oncor operates the largest distribution and transmission system in Texas, providing power to 3 million electric delivery points over more than 102,000 miles of distribution and 14,000 miles of transmission lines. While Oncor is a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., Oncor is a separate entity with a separate board that is comprised of a majority of independent directors.