BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Entergy Louisiana’s 1 million customers will receive refund credits on their electric bills, the Louisiana Public Service Commission said.
The commission voted Wednesday to approve a plan for returning the roughly $58 million over January, February, and March, news outlets reported quoting a statement from the commission.
The refunds are the result of a lawsuit the commission won over Entergy, the statement said. They should be about $5.50 per month for customers consuming around 1300 kilowatt-hours a month.
The commission in 2009 accused Entergy of violating an agreement that allowed the utility to buy other utility companies in Louisiana. The deal required Entergy to make less expensive power from its Arkansas subsidiary available to its Louisiana companies. But the commission said Entergy from 2000 to 2009 sold the cheaper electricity to other merchants, benefiting shareholders but requiring Louisiana customers to pay more.
The commission sued Entergy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the federal commission ordered Entergy Arkansas to pay $135.6 million plus interest to Entergy customers in Louisiana and other states. Entergy Louisiana customers received $58.6 million.
WAFB-TV reports Entergy says in 2012, the federal commission rejected the state commission’s argument that Entergy Arkansas was not allowed to make the sales. Entergy also says the federal commission found the sales were made in good faith, contrary to the state commission’s allegation that it tried to benefit shareholders at customers’ expense.