Georgia Power customers will see an average $8 drop in their monthly bills starting June 1.
State utility regulators approve the average 6 percent decrease at a meeting Tuesday.
The reduction is based on a lower amount that Georgia Power said it needs to buy fuel -- natural gas, coal and nuclear power and renewable energy -- to make electricity. The utility said in March it was reducing fuel charges on customer bills by $567 million a year over the next two years.
The Georgia Public Service Commission is scheduled to hold hearings on the proposed fuel decrease in June. Utility regulator Chuck Eaton asked that the PSC approve the rates as filed so Georgia Power can begin lowering bills in June, a month earlier than scheduled. If charges need to be adjusted, that modification can be made after the hearings.
Georgia Power is allowed to recoup the cost of fuel from its customers, but the utility cannot profit from those costs.
