Jan 14 (Reuters) – U.S.-based utility Duke Energy’s Florida unit said on Wednesday that the storm cost recovery charge would be removed from customer bills a month earlier than originally scheduled.
The costs are associated with the company’s nearly $1.1 billion response to hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, for which it had filed a plan with the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) in late 2024.
Residential customers will see about a $33 reduction in their monthly bills starting in February, with roughly $11 more cut in March, bringing total reductions to around $44 from January levels, the utility said in a statement.
Commercial and industrial customers will also see their monthly bills lowered between 9.6% and 15.8% starting February from January levels, though the exact impact will vary based on usage and other factors.
Duke’s electric utilities serve about 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity.
Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
(Reporting by Pooja Menon in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)
