The Irony and the Justice

As a person who just got laid off from my job last Friday with no chance of callback, I can't help but smile at the irony of this story. Oh and by the way...I'm an Ameren UE customer, and the last thing I need right now is YET ANOTHER utility increase.

Ameren UE customers could receive estimated $73 million

10:25 PM CST on Thursday, February 12, 2009

(KMOV)- Starting March 1st your electric bills are going up. Ameren UE fought for a rate increase and a fuel surcharge you'll start to see on your bills.

But in a twist, one of the new rules Ameren UE pushed for would actually put money back in your pocket.

That's thanks to last month's ice storm in southern Missouri.

But it's not what the power company intended.

Ameren UE is now fighting the rule they wanted in the first place.

Ameren UE is going back to the Missouri Public Service Commission asking for a change to the rule because it had an unintended consequence and one that surprisingly would put money in customers pockets, up to an estimated $73 million.

Here is what happened and no one could have seen it coming.

Ameren UE's largest customer is an aluminum smelter plant in New Madrid County.

The ice storm just a couple of weeks ago knocked out power and getting their plant fully on-line could take a year.

So Ameren UE has all this extra electricity it can sell out on the open market.

Ironically, old rules would have let Ameren UE sell the power and keep the profit.

New rules require customers share some of the ups and downs.

And that means customers would get a huge chunk of this money in the form of future rate decreases.

Ameren UE is saying to the public service commission “We didn't expect that…..It's an act of god.”

That would now cause Ameren UE to lose up to about 45% of the rate increase they just got.

Ameren UE has a lot to lose in this one.

They're asking the commission to have a rehearing on that specific rule next Thursday.

Whether the commission will actually hear it remains to be seen.

News 4 tried to contact commissioners but couldn't get in touch with them.

Stay with News 4 for the latest on the story.

Link Here: http://www.kmov.com/localnews/stories/kmov-stlouis-news-090212-ameren-ue-money-back.cedc65b.html?npc