Entergy Arkansas actions expected to raise electricity rates slightly

Entergy Corp. subsidiary Entergy Arkansas said this week that electricity rates are expected to increase slightly this year.

Near the end of 2015, a joint motion between the company, the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC) and other parties was filed to increase electricity base rates to recover costs associated with the generation process.

In addition to this, an adjustment for fuel and purchased power costs, which the utility will file this spring, will lower rates and lessen the impact of the proposed increase in base prices.

If both moves are approved, customers would see an increase of approximately $1.30 a month for a typical household using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month. Both actions need to be approved by the APSC.

"It takes careful planning and efficient operations to mitigate the bill impact to our customers," Hugh McDonald, president and CEO of Entergy Arkansas, said "Our customers are reaping the benefit of the current energy market, combined with our timely acquisitions of modern, efficient and clean-burning combined-cycle natural-gas plants. All these factors combine to allow their rates to remain significantly lower than the national and regional averages."

Entergy Arkansas serves approximately 700,000 Arkansas residents. Entergy Corp. operates approximately 30,000 megawatts of capacity across its generating fleet.