Arkansas Public Service Commission

Address

1000 Center Street, Little Rock, AR 72201-4314

Phone

(501) 682-2051Fax (501) 683-3670

Website

arkansas.gov ↗

Utility landscape

• Entergy Arkansas, LLC IOU

  Central and eastern Arkansas, including Little Rock metropolitan area and approximately 700,000 customers

  Entergy Arkansas filed a general rate case in 2024 seeking recovery of capital investments in generation and grid modernization; the APSC has been active in scrutinizing fuel adjustment clause filings and storm cost recovery mechanisms. Parent company Entergy's multi-state regulatory strategy creates periodic tension with Arkansas-specific cost allocation disputes.

• Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) IOU

  Southwestern Arkansas, including Texarkana and Fort Smith regions; AEP subsidiary serving approximately 60,000 Arkansas customers

  SWEPCO has pursued cost recovery for its share of AEP transmission investments and has been engaged in proceedings related to coal plant retirement timelines and replacement capacity planning. Arkansas jurisdiction represents a small slice of its broader multi-state footprint, requiring careful cost allocation scrutiny.

• Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation (AOG) IOU

  Western Arkansas and parts of the Fort Smith area, distributing natural gas to residential and commercial customers

  AOG, a subsidiary of ONE Gas, filed for rate relief to recover infrastructure replacement costs under its System Integrity Rider mechanism. Pipeline replacement and safety compliance spending have been central to recent commission proceedings.

• CenterPoint Energy Arkansas (formerly Reliant Energy/Arkla) IOU

  Central, northern, and southern Arkansas natural gas distribution serving the largest gas customer base in the state

  CenterPoint has been active before the APSC on infrastructure tracker mechanisms and gas cost recovery following post-Winter Storm Uri volatility; the commission approved a settlement related to extraordinary gas costs with ongoing customer billing impact review.

• Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC) coop

  Statewide generation and transmission cooperative serving 17 member distribution cooperatives covering primarily rural Arkansas

  AECC is navigating a significant generation transition, evaluating retirement of coal assets and procurement of replacement capacity including renewables and battery storage; as a G&T cooperative, its wholesale rate changes flow through to member co-ops and are subject to APSC review.

• Conway Corporation muni

  City of Conway and surrounding Faulkner County communities; provides electric, water, wastewater, and broadband services

  Conway Corporation operates as one of Arkansas's largest municipal utilities and is largely self-regulated under municipal authority, but electric and water service expansions are periodically reviewed. Its integrated broadband offering has drawn attention as a model for municipally owned telecom infrastructure in the state.

Key issues

• Entergy Arkansas general rate case and grid modernization cost recovery: The APSC is evaluating Entergy's request to recover substantial capital expenditures tied to distribution automation, advanced metering infrastructure deployment, and generation fleet transition, with intervenors contesting rate base inclusions and the timing of cost recovery.
• Coal plant retirement and integrated resource planning: Both Entergy Arkansas and AECC face APSC scrutiny over their IRPs as coal retirements accelerate; the commission is pressing for clarity on replacement capacity procurement, resource adequacy standards, and implications for Arkansas ratepayers amid MISO capacity market tightening.
• Natural gas infrastructure tracker and rate recovery mechanisms: CenterPoint Energy and AOG proceedings before the APSC are testing the scope and frequency of between-rate-case infrastructure cost recovery riders, with the commission weighing customer bill impacts against the need to incentivize timely pipeline safety investments.
• Renewable energy procurement and interconnection: The APSC is addressing interconnection queue backlogs and utility avoided cost methodologies affecting qualifying facility contracts under PURPA, as solar project developers challenge Entergy Arkansas's proposed avoided cost rates as understating the value of renewable resources.
• Broadband and utility pole attachment regulation: The APSC is engaged in proceedings addressing pole attachment rates and make-ready timelines as broadband providers expand into rural Arkansas under federal BEAD program funding, creating friction between electric cooperatives and ISPs over access terms and cost allocation.

Upcoming

• 2026-09-15

  Estimated deadline for APSC staff and intervenor testimony in Entergy Arkansas grid modernization and rate base recovery docket; evidentiary hearing likely scheduled for fourth quarter 2026.

• 2026-10-07

  Estimated APSC open meeting at which commissioners are expected to take up CenterPoint Energy Arkansas infrastructure rider annual review and potential modifications to tracker mechanism cost caps.

• 2026-11-18

  Estimated filing deadline for AECC's updated Integrated Resource Plan pursuant to APSC order requiring triennial IRP updates; plan expected to detail coal retirement schedule and renewable and storage procurement strategy through 2040.

• 2027-01-30

  Estimated target date for APSC final order in Entergy Arkansas general rate case, assuming evidentiary hearings conclude in late 2026; any approved rate changes would take effect subject to refund conditions established at hearing.