Press Release by Carlton Proctor cproctor@pnj.com

Gulf Power’s request for an interim 4 percent rate increase will be considered during an August 23, 2011 hearing in Tallahassee.

Public Service Commission spokeswoman Cindy Muir said the interim rate hike, if approved, would take effect in September.

Hearings are tentatively scheduled later this fall for the remaining 6 percent of Gulf Power’s proposed rate hike.

If the full rate hike is approved, the average cost of 1,000 kilowatts would jump from about $122 to $134.

However, if the interim rate increase is approved but Gulf Power’s full rate increase is denied later this year, the revenue collected from the interim rate would be refunded to customers.

Muir also said a Customer Service Hearing is scheduled in Pensacola on September 15 at 10 a.m.

The hearing is open to the public and willbe at the Escambia County School Board’s J.E. Hall Educational services Center, 30 E. Texar Drive in Pensacola, FL.