IURC News Release

Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission                                                         

302 West Washington Street, Room 306                                                                        

Indianapolis Indiana 46204                                                                                              

317.232.2297 office

317.233.1982 fax

www.IN.gov/iurc

 

Contact:  Mary Beth Fisher

 

For Immediate Release                                                                                   

February 6, 2002

 

IURC APPROVES INDIANAPOLIS POWER AND LIGHT SERVICE QUALITY SETTLEMENT

 

Today the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved a 3-year settlement between Indianapolis Power and Light; the Office of Indiana Utility Consumer Counselor; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers AFL-CIO, Local Union No. 1395 and the IPL Industrial Group, stemming from the IURC investigation into the company’s response to the storms of July 8, 2001.

 

In Cause No. 41962, the Commissioners agree that it is in the best interest of the public to approve the agreement that was reached through negotiations between four parties that represent diverse interests. 

 

The settlement has five main elements:

 

  1. It establishes performance measures regarding system reliability and the company’s call center.
  2. It establishes penalties for failure to meet the performance measures.
  3. IPL commits to upgrade or replace its Outage Management System by December 31, 2002 and its Emergency Management System by March 28, 2003.
  4. It sets quarterly meetings for IPL to provide data regarding its service reliability and call center performance to the settling parties and the Commission.
  5. IPL will provide $100 credits to customers whose service was interrupted for 36 or more hours by the storms of July 8, 2001.

 

The company has identified customers who may be eligible for the credit, but the order requires IPL to allow customers who believe they qualify for the credit to apply.  The details of the application process will be worked out by IPL and Commission staff within ten days of this order.

 

These credits are similar to those authorized by the Commission last September.  Since then the company has paid nearly $ 877,000 to customers who were without power at least 48 hours.  Those who have already received credits will not get another.

 

Under the settlement IPL has agreed to submit a storm report regarding Level 3 storms within 30 days of the storm, and address questions or concerns the Commission has regarding the company’s response. 

 

IPL will establish a bonus pool from which it will pay $1,000 to each full time IPL employee after each year in which IPL is not penalized under the settlement.

 

The Commission will open a sub-docket to monitor IPL’s compliance with the settlement agreement.

 

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