Appalachian Power

In a filing with the PSC on Friday, the county cites statewide consumer impact: The rate increase would add $18 a month to the average residential customer’s monthly bill.

Representatives from the coal industry testified in Washington Wednesday about rail service issues that could put a strain on the nation's power grid.

According to filings this week with the Public Service Commission, the average monthly Appalachian Power bill in West Virginia is $155.

The company has filed written testimony in recent weeks to the PSC that the cost of coal has risen from $35 a ton in 2020 to $84 a ton.

The sharply higher cost of coal and natural gas is behind the request. Coal prices have more than doubled from a year ago, and natural gas prices have more than tripled.

Appalachian Power has about 500,000 customers in Virginia who receive power from the Mountaineer and John Amos power plants.

West Virginia electric power customers may be asked to pay more to keep three coal-burning power plants open longer, a look at the reasons West Virginia has had one of the highest rates of juvenile incarceration in the country and West Virginia native Emily Calandrelli has built a career encouraging kids, especially girls, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Her latest project is based right here in the Mountain State.

On Friday, the West Virginia Public Service Commission will consider whether customers of Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power will pay the full cost of upgrades to the John Amos, Mitchell and Mountaineer power plants.

The Virginia Corporation Commission on Monday rejected Appalachian Power’s plan to keep the John Amos and Mountaineer power plants in West Virginia operating through 2040.

A report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that the John Amos, Mountaineer and Mitchell plants will no longer be economical to operate in five years.