COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) recently authorized a settlement agreement related to AES Ohio’s missed electric reliability standards during 2021 and 2022.
AES Ohio will pay a civil forfeiture of $150,000 and make a $100,000 shareholder funded contribution to its energy bill assistance program.
“Consumers expect and deserve reliable electricity service,” stated PUCO Chair Jenifer French. “Today’s agreement will help to ensure that AES Ohio delivers reliable power into the future.”
In its order, the Commission noted AES Ohio has already provided an improvement plan to meet reliability standards, and the agreement approved today includes additional financial penalties should the utility continue to miss its standards in future years.
On Aug. 16, 2024, a settlement was reached by PUCO staff, AES Ohio, and the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel.
Utilities are required to meet system-wide metrics called the system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI), which represents the average number of interruptions per customer, and customer average interruption duration index (CAIDI), which represents the average interruption duration in minutes. A utility that underperforms either metric for two consecutive years is in violation of PUCO regulations.
Link: AES Ohio reliability data
A copy of the Commission’s finding and order is available on the PUCO website at PUCO.ohio.gov by clicking on the link to “Docketing Information System” and searching for case 24-07-EL-UNC.