Chugach lowers retail and wholesale fuel surcharge

Chugach Electric Association lowered the fuel surcharge rates paid by its retail customers and two of its wholesale customers. The decreases are primarily due to a reduction in the amount of funds needed to be collected for prior fuel and purchased power expenses.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska approved Chugach's filing to lower the retail fuel surcharge from 2.5430 cents per kilowatt-hour to 2.290 cents. Retail customers will see the change effective with the bills rendered after Jan. 1, 2002. The decrease translates into a savings on a monthly bill of 2.2 percent or $1.77 for the average Chugach residential customer using 700 kwh of service each month.

The RCA also approved Chugach's request to lower the fuel surcharge rates for two of the utility's wholesale customers -- Homer Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association. The approved first quarter 2002 surcharge rates are 2.172 cents per kwh for Homer Electric and 2.099 cents per kwh for Matanuska Electric, compared to the previous per kilowatt-hour rates of 2.397 cents and 2.412 cents per kwh respectively. Wholesale customers will see the change effective with their Jan. 1 purchases from Chugach.

Chugach is the largest electric utility in Alaska, providing power for Alaskans throughout the Railbelt through retail, wholesale and economy energy sales.