March 22, 2002
PSC approves FPL's rate reduction agreement; lower rates to
go into effect beginning April 15
JUNO BEACH, Fla. - Florida Power & Light
Company today said the Florida Public Service Commission has unanimously
approved a 7-percent base-rate reduction that will save customers
approximately $1 billion through 2005.
"Thanks to today's prompt action by the
Commission, our customers will receive the benefit of this reduction
beginning with meter readings taken on April 15," said Paul
Evanson, FPL president. "I particularly want to express my
appreciation to the Commission for encouraging this type of incentive-based
regulation. In doing so, they have set Florida apart from most
other states in the nation as a leader in fostering a progressive
regulatory environment. From the beginning when this rate review
was initiated, Chairman Lila Jaber and the Commission have emphasized
their support for negotiated agreements among interested parties.
We're pleased we have been able to achieve just that."
In addition to reducing base rates by $250 million
a year, the agreement provides for revenue sharing between the
utility and customers when base revenues exceed certain levels.
Also, under the agreement, FPL will reduce its fuel charge by another
$200 million for the balance of 2002. The agreement approved today
is similar in structure to one negotiated in 1999 between FPL and
the Office of Public Counsel and approved by the Commission. Combined,
the 1999 and 2002 agreements provide an annual permanent rate reduction
of $600 million, or more than $2.2 billion in potential savings
to customers through 2005, including reduced rates and revenue-sharing
refunds to date.
The base-rate reduction resulted from an agreement
among FPL, Florida's Public Counsel Jack Shreve and other parties
following more than nine months of extensive review of FPL's financial
data. During the review, FPL submitted 750 pages of testimony from
13 expert witnesses, provided more than 1,300 pages of detailed
financial data, responded to more than 4,100 specific questions
about the data from the Office of Public Counsel, the PSC staff
and attorneys for other parties and made approximately 100,000
pages of documents available for their review.
Other parties in the rate review who have joined
in the agreement are the Florida Industrial Power Users Group,
Florida Retail Federation, Lee County, Publix Super Markets, Inc.,
Thomas P. and Genevieve Twomey and Dynegy Midstream Services, LP.
Since 1985, when FPL had its last rate increase,
the utility has added more than $13 billion in facilities and 1.3
million new customers. It has announced plans to invest more than
$2.8 billion in facility expansion through 2003 to ensure FPL can
meet the energy needs of customers in the most reliable and cost-effective
manner.
In its commitment to first class service, FPL
has improved its system reliability, which continues to be well
above the national average. Since 1997, FPL decreased the average
amount of time customers were without power by nearly 50 percent
and improved its restoration time by 30 percent. The number of
interruptions per customer in a year has improved 27 percent in
four years.
Florida Power & Light Company is the principal
subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL), nationally known as
a high quality, efficient and customer-driven organization focused
on energy-related products and services. With annual revenues of
more than $8 billion and a growing presence in more than a dozen
states, FPL Group is widely recognized as one of the country's
premier power companies. Florida Power & Light Company serves
approximately 3.9 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy,
Inc., FPL Group's energy-generating subsidiary, is a leader in
producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional
information is available on the Internet at
www.fpl.com,
www.fplgroup.com and
www.fplenergy.com.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AGREEMENT:
- Rate reduction amount: Approximately
$1 billion through 2005 ($250 million annually).
- Residential rates: For a standard
1,000-kwh comparison, residential monthly rates will decline
from $81.63 to $76.22 as a result of base rate and fuel adjustment
reductions.
- Effective date: The new rates will
be reflected in customers' bills beginning with meter readings
taken April 15, 2002, and will run through Dec. 31, 2005.
- Revenue sharing: Like the current
agreement, customers will receive a refund if base revenues exceed
certain threshold levels.

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