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Show r Relieve It or Not Company Requests Rate Drop Turning on the lights may be less pensive in the next few months if "ah Power and Light Company gets llrmission to reduce the rates by 1 030,000. fThe power company has filed for e rate reduction with Utah's Public rvice Commission and doesn't Jjpect any resistance over the Hquest. 'It's like getting a pat on the back," says American Fork's Customer Service representative Ray Walker. "You don't say too much, but if you get a kick, you yell loudly ! ' ' Walker explained the reduction is possible only because UP&L purchased pur-chased excess hydro-power from the Northwest and thus avoided anticipated an-ticipated fuel cost increases. "Operating conditions were such that we've been able to buy the hydro- power, and haven't had to purchase coal and other fuels as much as we expected. So our fuel costs have been down," he said. Walker also mentioned that since UP&L was able to get rale increases through the commission without going through public hearings, they could be getting ready for possible escalating costs. "The agreement is with the Public Service Commission that if fuel costs don'l go lo what we anticipated, then we would adjust our rates accordingly. ac-cordingly. That is what we're doing here." Walker said that the rate change may go past March 1981 - the date set for the requested change to stay in effect. The decrease is expected to amount to 45 cents less a month to the average Utah resident starting in January 1981. "It means a reduction in the rates, until our fuel costs go up," said Walker. "We can largely thank the weather; the mild winter has been a factor but the biggest thing is being able to buy the amount of excess power we've needed," he concluded. |