Ga. Power seeking fuel charge reduction

ATLANTA - Georgia Power is asking the state Public Service Commission to reduce the fuel charges it passes along to customers.

Georgia Power said Tuesday it's proposing the $43 million annual cut because its costs for fueling electric-generating plants dropped. The company says the reduction would save a typical residential customer about 64 cents a month.

The current fuel reduction charge was approved a year ago. New supplies of natural gas in shale rock, along with reduced industrial demand, drove natural gas costs lower than the company predicted when it set the charge.

Public Service Commission public hearings on Georgia Power's fuel request are scheduled for May 9 and 10. The new rate would begin June 1.