31 AUGUST 2012statejournal.com
Reply briefs filed for Century Aluminum rate case
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
All eyes are now on the West Virginia Public Service Commission to make a decision in the electricity rate case for Century Aluminum.
Thousands of pages of testimony, letters of protest and most recently reply briefs from the five parties to the case have been filed since May.
The Ravenswood smelter, which closed in 2009 and eliminated 650 jobs along with health care for its retirees, has been in rate negotiations to reopen that plant.
The West Virginia Legislature passed a new bill in March to allow a severance tax credit for coal mined to restart the plant, and the company started rate negotiations with Appalachian Power. When those fell through, Century's potential proposal was presented to the PSC in May.
From Jan. 1, 2011 to Aug. 28, 2012, the PSC has received 119 letters in protest of Century's proposal and 27 letters in support of the proposal, which would tie the plant's electricity rate to the costs of aluminum on the London Metal Exchange and potentially push some of the bill to all other Appalachian Power ratepayers.
After three days of evidentiary hearings in late August, each party submitted initial briefs that reiterated their positions, and in the case of the PSC's Consumer Advocate, offered up final suggestions for how to strike a balance between the plant and the public.
Thousands of pages of testimony, letters of protest and most recently reply briefs from the five parties to the case have been filed since May.
The Ravenswood smelter, which closed in 2009 and eliminated 650 jobs along with health care for its retirees, has been in rate negotiations to reopen that plant.
The West Virginia Legislature passed a new bill in March to allow a severance tax credit for coal mined to restart the plant, and the company started rate negotiations with Appalachian Power. When those fell through, Century's potential proposal was presented to the PSC in May.
From Jan. 1, 2011 to Aug. 28, 2012, the PSC has received 119 letters in protest of Century's proposal and 27 letters in support of the proposal, which would tie the plant's electricity rate to the costs of aluminum on the London Metal Exchange and potentially push some of the bill to all other Appalachian Power ratepayers.
After three days of evidentiary hearings in late August, each party submitted initial briefs that reiterated their positions, and in the case of the PSC's Consumer Advocate, offered up final suggestions for how to strike a balance between the plant and the public.
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