Public Service Commission of West Virginia

Address

201 Brooks Street, Charleston, WV 25301

Phone

(304) 340-0300Fax (304) 340-0325

Website

psc.state.wv.us ↗

Utility landscape

• Appalachian Power Company (AEP subsidiary) IOU

  Southern and central West Virginia, including Charleston, Huntington, and surrounding areas

  Frequently active at the PSC with rate cases and infrastructure cost recovery proceedings; recently sought approval for significant transmission and distribution capital expenditures under its vegetation management and grid hardening programs.

• Monongalia Power Company (FirstEnergy subsidiary, operating as Mon Power) IOU

  Northern West Virginia, including Morgantown, Clarksburg, Elkins, and surrounding counties

  Subject to ongoing scrutiny over distribution infrastructure investment and storm response performance; coordinates rate treatment with Potomac Edison in joint filings before the PSC.

• Potomac Edison Company (FirstEnergy subsidiary) IOU

  Eastern panhandle of West Virginia, including Martinsburg and Berkeley County

  Serves one of the fastest-growing service territories in the state; rate pressure driven by load growth from data center and residential development in the Eastern Panhandle.

• Mountaineer Gas Company (Dominion Energy subsidiary) IOU

  Statewide natural gas distribution across 50+ counties, largest natural gas LDC in West Virginia

  Filed for rate increases tied to pipeline integrity and system modernization costs; PSC has historically scrutinized Mountaineer's capital recovery mechanisms and cost allocation between customer classes.

• Wheeling Power Company (AEP subsidiary) IOU

  Northern panhandle of West Virginia, including Wheeling and Ohio County

  Smaller AEP affiliate with limited standalone rate case activity; coordinates regulatory filings with Appalachian Power and subject to AEP system-wide resource planning decisions.

• Raleigh County Public Service District muni

  Water and wastewater service in portions of Raleigh County in southern West Virginia

  Representative of numerous PSDs regulated by the PSC for water and wastewater; faces aging infrastructure cost pressures and has sought rate relief to fund EPA-mandated system improvements.

Key issues

• Coal plant retirement and replacement resource planning: Appalachian Power's resource planning obligations following the retirement of coal generation assets are under active PSC review, with contentious debate over whether replacement capacity should include gas peakers, demand response, or utility-scale renewables given West Virginia's statutory preferences for fossil fuel generation.
• Transmission cost allocation and FERC-PSC jurisdictional tension: West Virginia ratepayers continue to bear significant allocations from PJM regional transmission projects; the PSC and legislative stakeholders are pressing for greater scrutiny of transmission rider cost pass-throughs, particularly from AEP and FirstEnergy affiliates.
• Water and wastewater infrastructure funding for Public Service Districts: Dozens of PSC-regulated PSDs face compliance deadlines under EPA consent orders and WVDEP enforcement actions; rate increase requests have accelerated, and the PSC is managing a high-volume docket of small-system water cases with limited engineering staff resources.
• Broadband pole attachment and right-of-way disputes: Expansion of rural broadband under BEAD program funding is generating disputes between ISPs and electric utilities over pole attachment rates, make-ready timelines, and access to utility infrastructure; the PSC has seen increased filings seeking expedited resolution of attachment complaints.
• Natural gas rate design and low-income affordability: Mountaineer Gas rate case proceedings have elevated debate over fixed charge levels, declining block rates, and the adequacy of the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) as a bill mitigation tool, with consumer advocates arguing current rate design disproportionately burdens low-volume residential customers.

Upcoming

• 2026-09-15

  Estimated deadline for public comment period in Appalachian Power's pending infrastructure cost recovery rider filing; PSC staff review and evidentiary hearing scheduling anticipated to follow in Q4 2026.

• 2026-10-01

  Estimated date for PSC initial order or procedural schedule in Mountaineer Gas rate case; case involves proposed base rate increase and gas system modernization cost recovery, with intervenor testimony expected from Consumer Advocate Division and industrial customers.

• 2026-11-18

  Estimated evidentiary hearing date for Mon Power and Potomac Edison joint distribution infrastructure investment filing; FirstEnergy affiliates seeking multi-year capital expenditure approval with associated rate treatment in advance of 2027 rate case cycle.

• 2027-01-31

  Estimated deadline for West Virginia IOUs to submit updated integrated resource plans or resource adequacy filings reflecting PJM capacity market outcomes and post-coal-retirement generation portfolios; PSC staff review expected to open formal dockets in early 2027.