The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has approved a $450,789,348 revenue requirement for United Illuminating for the rate year, which is 8% less than what the utility had sought, according to the agency.
“The approved revenue requirement results in an monthly bill impact of approximately $9.99 to distribution rates for the average residential customer using 750 kilowatt hours of electricity,” according to PURA.
The PURA decision on The United Illuminating Company is for the rate year November 1, 2025, through October 31, 2026. A message seeking comment was sent to UI.
The PURA ruling came a day after the agency offered to resolve one of the utility lawsuits against it by conceding that former Chair Marissa Gillett had violated the law by appointing herself as the “presiding officer” over cases without the approval of her fellow commissioners.
The PURA ruling on UI allows return on equity of 9.45%, but PURA “reduced the allowed return on equity (ROE) by an aggregate 20 basis point reduction (i.e. to 9.25%) to address certain performance and management issues,” according to the agency.
“In its application, UI proposed a 27.4%, or $105,418,797 increase over currently authorized revenues of $384,865,000, for a total revenue requirement of $490,283,797. The Company sought approval of a 10.5% ROE, which would amount to a 140 basis point increase from the currently allowed 9.10% ROE,” PURA wrote.
The decision also determines issues of cost allocation and customer service, according to PURA.
A PURA spokesperson said the authority’s new Interim Chairman Tom Wiehl recused himself from the decision “due to his recent involvement in the case while in his former role as Legal and Regulatory Director at the CT Office of Consumer Counsel.”
“The Authority conducted an extensive investigatory process over the past 350 days, which entailed three public comment hearings, multiple rounds of pre-filed testimony from parties, several days of field audits and inspections, more than 2,000 interrogatories issued amongst all parties and intervenors, seven days of in-person hearings, submission of 92 late filed exhibits, a late filed exhibit hearing, and briefs and reply briefs,” the agency said in a statement.
PURA also noted UI’s last rate case was done in 2023.
UI provides electric service to more 347,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 17 towns and cities in the southwestern part of Connecticut.
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