The Public Service Commission (PSC) held three public hearings last week on Delmarva Power & Light Company’s proposal to raise electricity rates on its Eastern Shore customers by 12.5 percent.  The utility initially made the request to the Commission in July. If approved, the increase will provide Delmarva Power with an additional $57 million, reports Delmarvanow – needed to recoup $330 million in upgrades made from 2012 to 2015, according to the utility.

Delmarva Power & Light Company delivers electricity to about 203,000 customers in Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties in Maryland, according to the PSC.

Reports Delmarvnow: 

The increase would raise the typical customer’s bill monthly by $18.38, assuming a consumption of 1,000 kilowatt hours. The new total bill would be about $165, according to Delmarva Power’s estimates.

Tammy Truitt said Thursday that electricity accounts for about 21 percent of the expenses at her Somerset County chicken farm …

The company’s current price of power — 8.38 cents per kilowatt hour — ranks third highest among the state’s four electricity providers. If the 12.5 percent boost is applied, the rate rises to 9.42 cents per hour, 43 cents more than what’s charged by the most expensive supplier, the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.

The PSC plans to make a final ruling on the request by February 17, 2017.