MEA board approves rate increase

MAT-SU — The Matanuska Electric Association Board of Directors voted Feb. 10 to authorize an increase of 2.54 percent in base rates, effective the second quarter of 2014.

“The price of fuel went up so the price of electricity went up,” MEA General Manager Joe Griffith said.

The average MEA consumer uses just under 800 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month. That means, if approved by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, the increase would equal an average of $2.18 monthly.

Under the terms of rules set by the regulatory commission, MEA is allowed on a quarterly basis to file for limited increases or decreases in base rates, provided that the adjustments stay within certain financial parameters established by the commission. The rate filing is based on the test year ending Dec. 31, 2013, and if approved, will take effect during the first week of April.