AEP Ohio

It’s almost been four years since Columbus ushered in a program that promised lower energy prices using clean energy generated in Ohio.

AEP said it doesn't expect any significant impact on the company's operations, cash flows or financial condition.

Earlier this month, AEP Ohio announced plans for another rate increase that the company said will pay for reliability-focused improvements to the electric grid. Under the plan, rates will go up about $1.50 a month or an average annual increase of less than 1 percent.

The Public Utility Commission of Ohio agreed to a consumer-advocate motion to stay natural gas and electricity disconnections for 30 days while low-income consumers are applying for bill-payment relief.

AEP customers will see a 28% price hike starting Thursday, increasing costs to power their homes by over $40 for the average customer.

Consumer advocates say this isn't the right time to add additional charges to customer bills.

More than 600 extra line men are being called to the state in case of outages. Last weekend's storm left 125,000 customers temporarily without power.

But consumer advocates representing manufacturers and residential electric customers, and staff at a state regulatory agency are pushing back.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio heard from electricity provider AEP and transmission line operator PJM in a public meeting Wednesday about forced power outages in June in Columbus.

The Columbus-based electric utility has been criticized for outages following severe storms during days of extreme heat.