State approves Florida Power & Light bill increase

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Power & Light Co. customers will see an increase in their bills in January due to state regulators' approval of fuel and other costs Tuesday.

A 1,000-kilowatt-hour residential bill will increase by $2.72 a month, or less than 3 percent. The average residential usage is 1,100 kilowatt hours. The increase includes costs approved Tuesday, and 23 cents in nuclear costs still pending before the Florida Public Service Commission. A 1 cent decrease in storm costs was filed Tuesday.

The 1,000-kilowatt-hour bill will jump to $99.26 from $96.54 this year.

The difference in the typical bill anticipated for January is driven primarily by costs of energy-efficiency programs to help customers lower their electricity use; environmental projects to comply with federal and state air and water standards; and investments in additional nuclear power generation that are expected to deliver savings for customers, FPL spokesman Mark Bubriski said.

Juno Beach-based FPL's estimated fuel costs for 2012 are about $4.2 billion. Fuel costs are decreasing slightly.

"Our customers continue to save money on fuel costs due to the investments FPL has made," Bubriski said.

FPL's West County Energy Center Unit 3 alone in Loxahatchee is projected to produce net savings of about $20 million for customers next year, Bubriski said.

The typical bill continues to be significantly lower than the national average and the lowest of all 55 of Florida's electric utilities.