PSC: Century Aluminum will have until Oct. 26 to file petition
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Century Aluminum officials will have more time to ask the Public Service Commission to reconsider its ruling on a special electric rate for the company, but it won't be as much time as they wanted.
The PSC has ruled that Century and other parties will have until Oct. 26 to file petitions requesting that the agency reconsider its order. Century had asked to have until Nov. 1 to file its petition.
"We maintained a strict schedule during this case at the insistence and repeated urging of Century because we believed that a timely resolution of the issues facing Century was important," the commission wrote in an order Wednesday. "We do not, at this late stage, want to deviate from a timely resolution of the case.
"Even though we do not agree with Century's representation of the 'newness' of the Commission decision, we recognize that a full understanding of the Commission decision is important and essential."
The PSC issued a 70-page ruling on Oct. 4 that Century may have a special rate for electricity, which the company had requested to restart its Ravenswood plant, but the PSC said any risk that the company won't pay enough for its power would have to be assumed by the company, not other Appalachian Power customers.
Century officials announced this week that the PSC-proposed rate was "not sufficient" to restart the Ravenswood smelter. The plant closed in 2009 and more than 650 workers were laid off.
The company, in a filing, requested more time to prepare a petition for reconsideration.
"Century requests an extension ...to provide [it] with additional time to evaluate the order's implications for the restart of Century's Ravenswood business operations, and to prepare a petition for reconsideration which fairly responds to the order," Century officials said in the filing.
The rate the PSC proposed last week is similar to the one Century had requested, the commission wrote in its order.
"The main differences between the Commission plan and that proposed by Century is that we placed the responsibility of revenue shortfalls on Century rather than burdening Appalachian Power Company and ratepayers," commissioners with the PSC wrote.
Reach Lori Kersey at lori.ker...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Century Aluminum officials will have more time to ask the Public Service Commission to reconsider its ruling on a special electric rate for the company, but it won't be as much time as they wanted.The PSC has ruled that Century and other parties will have until Oct. 26 to file petitions requesting that the agency reconsider its order. Century had asked to have until Nov. 1 to file its petition.
"We maintained a strict schedule during this case at the insistence and repeated urging of Century because we believed that a timely resolution of the issues facing Century was important," the commission wrote in an order Wednesday. "We do not, at this late stage, want to deviate from a timely resolution of the case.
"Even though we do not agree with Century's representation of the 'newness' of the Commission decision, we recognize that a full understanding of the Commission decision is important and essential."
The PSC issued a 70-page ruling on Oct. 4 that Century may have a special rate for electricity, which the company had requested to restart its Ravenswood plant, but the PSC said any risk that the company won't pay enough for its power would have to be assumed by the company, not other Appalachian Power customers.
Century officials announced this week that the PSC-proposed rate was "not sufficient" to restart the Ravenswood smelter. The plant closed in 2009 and more than 650 workers were laid off.
The company, in a filing, requested more time to prepare a petition for reconsideration.
"Century requests an extension ...to provide [it] with additional time to evaluate the order's implications for the restart of Century's Ravenswood business operations, and to prepare a petition for reconsideration which fairly responds to the order," Century officials said in the filing.
The rate the PSC proposed last week is similar to the one Century had requested, the commission wrote in its order.
"The main differences between the Commission plan and that proposed by Century is that we placed the responsibility of revenue shortfalls on Century rather than burdening Appalachian Power Company and ratepayers," commissioners with the PSC wrote.
Reach Lori Kersey at lori.ker...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.
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