CenterPoint Energy files with Ohio to raise gas rates an average of $23 a month

The request represents the first time in six years the company has sought higher rates, CenterPoint also said.

CenterPoint Energy’s Ohio-based natural gas business filed an application for the rate increase with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) this week to recover costs involved in building what the company called “a safer and more modern natural gas system for more than 333,000 customers in its 16-county service area in West Central Ohio.”

Credit: NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF

Credit: NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF

“CEOH’s (CenterPoint Energy Ohio’s) application is being filed in part to recognize in rate base the investment in pipelines, meters, and other jurisdictional assets that CEOH has made since its last rate case ... and to recover revenues sufficient enough to pay for CEOH’s operating expenses, service CEOH’s debt, and provide a reasonable rate of return on its property used and useful in the rendition of natural gas service to its customers,” the company said in its Tuesday filing with the PUCO.

“Our top priority is to continue to strengthen the safety and reliability of the natural gas service we provide to our customers and communities,” Ashley Babcock, CenterPoint’s vice president of gas operations, Indiana and Ohio, said in a statement. “From installing new industry-grade pipes and more advanced meters, to improving leak detection and meeting the needs of our customers, these investments support our ability to deliver the level of service that our customers expect and deserve.”

CenterPoint said it has invested $830 million in its Ohio natural gas infrastructure since 2018, replacing nearly 400 miles of steel and cast-iron pipelines, installing some 30,000 new meters and taking other steps. The company said it has also upgraded large high-pressure pipelines.

The PUCO’s review of CenterPoint’s request is expected to take several months, with a final decision expected by early 2026.

CenterPoint Energy delivers natural gas to some 333,000 customers in all or portions of Montgomery, Clark, Miami, Auglaize, Champaign, Clinton and other western Ohio counties.