CenterPoint said phone numbers, web sites and addresses will remain the same during the sale process.
The utility delivers natural gas to some 333,000 customers in all or parts of Montgomery, Warren, Clark, Clinton, Darke, Fayette, Greene, Highland, Logan, Madison, Miami and in all, 16 area counties in Western Ohio.
The company recently announced a 10-year capital expenditure plan, aiming to invest $52.5 billion through 2030, to meet expected demand from data centers. The Ohio sale would be part of an effort to boost its capital portfolio.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Ohio Consumers Counsel said it is opposing the company’s efforts to raise natural gas bills for Ohioans.
Under the utility’s plan, the average residential consumer’s monthly bill would rise from $92 to over $115, a $275 annual increase, according to the counsel’s office.
This week, the office said it submitted testimony outlining what it called “numerous flaws” in CenterPoint Energy’s proposal to raise rates.
“A 30% rate increase is too much of an ask from CenterPoint’s consumers struggling in today’s economy,” Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Maureen Willis said.
The company sold its natural gas distribution systems in Louisiana and Mississippi for $1.2 billion in April.
Company representatives could not be immediately reached for comment.
Scott Buchanan, chairman of the U.S. Air and Trade Show, which produces the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show, said there have been no discussions with the company about continued support of the show.
But he noted that the show has had multiple supporting sponsors in the past, with Dayton Power & Light, Vectren and then CenterPoint Energy.
“We’ve been down this road before,” he said.
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