PCL&P will improve service and seek new rate increase

MILFORD — On Wednesday Pike County Light & Power (PCL&P) revealed plans for improving its electric system in Pennsylvania and how they plan to pay for those improvements. Plans feature the opening of a new customer service office in Milford, the establishment of a Community Advisory Council and the construction of several major new electric service reliability projects, including building a new electric substation for Milford and building a new second main transmission line to feed Pike County. Since tree-related equipment interference can be a major cause of service interruptions, PCL&P also will be trimming trees along its delivery lines more often. This could include ground to sky trimming and tree removal in key areas. Frequent interruptions and the lack of a secondary line were causes of customer complaints prior to the 2006 rate increase. All of these proposals grew out of a joint settlement of a complaint case brought by Pike County and a number of other parties against PCL&P. The company statement went on to say, the company “expects to seek rate relief for these proposed projects.” Additionally, PCL&P will no longer offer fixed rates after Jan. 1. Monthly charges will vary, based on market prices from it’s supplier, the New York Independent System Operator. The company said this pricing historically is more economical in the longterm, but reflects “the volatility of the competitive market place.” PCL&P plans to build a staging area with a storage shed that would maintain an inventory of repair equipment and supplies at its new Milford area substation for faster interruption response. A new customer service office in Milford will make it easier for customers to do business with the company. PCL&P also has committed to take a more active role in the Pike County and Tri-State Chambers of Commerce and to increase its annual United Way contributions to Pike County. The county’s lawsuit posed questions about PCL&P’s electric delivery service and electric supply rates that went into place in January 2006 when price caps were removed in compliance with orders from the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission. The settlement resolves these questions but still requires commission approval.