The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission said Thursday it will investigate a proposed rate hike by PPL.
In September, the Allentown-based utility requested an annual base rate increase of $356.3 million per year that would increase total annual revenue by 8.6%. PPL serves about 1.5 million customers in 29 counties.
The PUC voted 5-0 to investigate the proposed rate increase, which could raise a total monthly bill by about 7%. A residential customer using 918 kWh per month would see an increase from $177.01 to $189.40. The company said commercial customers could see an increase of about 3.1%, and industrial customers could see an increase of about 2.6%.
Because of the investigation, the increase is suspended for up to seven months. It will be assigned to the PUC’s Office of Administrative Law Judge for investigation and recommended decisions.
The OALJ’s investigation will include public input hearings to gather testimony from concerned consumers and interested stakeholders. Dates, times and locations for those hearings will be detailed in future PUC press releases. More information on the ratemaking process is available on the commission’s website, puc.pa.gov.
A final PUC decision on PPL’s rate increase request is due by July 1, 2026.
PPL said the rate increase, the first it has requested in more than a decade, is to pay for improvements for electric service and reliability. The company said it is trying to strengthen and modernize its grid system to better withstand weather; implement next-generation smart grid technologies; and improve customer service systems.