By: David Beard, The Dominion Post
Concluding a task force investigation that began in 2022, the state Public Service Commission has ordered the state's four electric utilities to "continue to pursue all reasonable fuel procurement methods and energy efficiency programs that may reduce energy costs for ratepayers."
And they must provide evidence, in future PSC cases that they're doing so.
The PSC issued the order this week, about 10 months after the task force wrapped up its work and PSC staff submitted its final report on the work.
The idea of the task force originated in March 2022, when the West Virginia Coal Association wrote to the PSC saying "traditional coal supply contracting terms offered by the state's utilities were insufficient to allow producers to supply the coal necessary to operate the power plants to the maximum benefit of state ratepayers."