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Officials estimate Irma recovery cost will be more than $100M

By Aaron Diamant
By Aaron Diamant

GEORGIA — Irma may be gone but cleanup continues across Georgia.

Last week, Georgia Power restored electricity to nearly a million customers. On Monday, it reported just 200 customers remain without power.

Now, the Georgia Public Service Commission is adding up the costs.

"You don’t want them penalized. We don’t want them having to cut corners, well, we won’t bring in as many trucks. We won’t bring in as many workers, no, no. We want them moving quickly, moving all the assets and getting people turned on as quick as possible," said the organization's vice chairman, Tim Echols.

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The PSC is the state agency that oversees and regulates utilities in Georgia including setting rates. It reviews Georgia Power base-rate proposals every three years. The next round is in 2019.

“We are the judges in this. We are all statewide elected officials. We’re extremely sensitive about the impact that this has on our consumers," Echols said.

Last year’s recovery from Hurricane Matthew along the Georgia coast cost Georgia Power around $120 million. Officials expect Irma's statewide impact will likely top that.

"We don’t know what this one will be. There’s different nuances to every storm, but that’s just one example, so it’s significant," Echols explained.

The last time the PSC approved a Georgia Power rate hike was 2013.

"I don’t really expect the power company to come at us in a kind of way of trying to take advantage of a situation. Whatever they spent, they are eligible to receive that in recovery," Echols said.

Either way, any rate hike wouldn't take effect until at least January 2020.

"There’s so many factors that go into a full base-rate case. I don’t think there’s any way to say at this point what adds to, what subtracts from," Echols said.

Cox Media Group

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