The Public Service Commission has started the 45 day countdown for Mississippi Power to reach a settlement regarding the Kemper County plant.
“We formally adopted an order with three provisions we’d like to see in the settlement,” said Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley. “No rate increase for the customers of Mississippi Power, re-licensing the plant as a natural gas plant, and making sure the customers of the Kemper County plant are not liable for anything other than the natural gas portion of the plant.”
The natural gas portion has been in operation since 2014.
When it comes to the over $7 billion that was sunk into the lignite gas portion of the plant, it won’t fall on the customer’s shoulders.
“That has essentially been a private venture,” said Presley. “The customer is only paying for the portion of the plant they’re receiving electricity from.”
The next step is the filing of the settlement with the PSC from Mississippi Power.
“Under the idea of the settlement we proposed, this would need to be paid for by the company,” said Presley. “Not the customers of Mississippi Power.”
