Central District Commissioner Brent Bailey releases statement following MPSCs special open meeting

JACKSON— The Mississippi Public Service Commission conducted a special open meeting Tuesday to discuss pending matters on the docket. Central District Commissioner Brent Bailey released the following statement at the conclusion of the meeting:

“In today’s meeting, the Commission agreed to a stipulation allowing Mississippi Power Company to change their rates. The change results in a $2.48 monthly decrease for a typical residential customer which is a victory for Mississippi Power Company customers statewide.

“Another matter taken up by the Commission was the adoption of an Order that allows utilities to use customer deposits to satisfy outstanding utility service balances over the next 60 days. The Commission took this step to clarify the recent order issued Sunday to temporarily suspend disconnection of utility services for 60 days in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. The new Order restates that customers should continue to pay their utility bills for utility services utilized during this time. I encourage customers to continue paying their bills to avoid extreme balances at the end of the 60 days and to work with your service providers should other matters cause hardships.

“The final matter taken up by the Commission on the agenda included a hearing on the application for construction of the proposed 100-Megawatt Sunflower Solar Facility in Sunflower County. The matter was taken under advisement and will be voted on by the Commission at a later date.”