JCP&L is seeking a $253 million base-rate increase to support electric distribution investments.
Temporary offsets would protect residential customers from the higher delivery rates through 2027.
The rate request would support an additional $2.1 billion in base distribution investments as part of JCP&L’s broader five-year, $6.9 billion capital plan.
Jersey Central Power & Light has asked New Jersey regulators to approve a $253 million increase in base distribution rates, but residential customers would not feel the impact until January 2028. The proposal uses temporary offsets to cover the higher delivery rates through 2027 while allowing infrastructure investments to move forward.
If approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), the new base rates would technically take effect in May 2027. Credits would offset the increase for residential customers through the end of that year, aligning the proposal with the state’s effort to limit near-term increases in utility bills.
The structure is unusual because the costs would not simply be deferred and added to future customer balances. JCP&L said existing credits and other offsets would cover the difference until the new rates and a separate storm-recovery charge take effect in January 2028.
What customers could pay
Once the changes are fully implemented in January 2028, the average JCP&L customer would see an estimated total bill increase of 8.5 percent. Residential customers would see an increase of approximately 8.8 percent, or $14.23 per month for a typical household using 767 kilowatt-hours and currently paying $162.30.
The $253 million base-rate request accounts for roughly 7 percent of the projected increase. JCP&L is also seeking to recover $476 million in previously deferred storm-restoration costs through a separate charge beginning in 2028.
Those storm costs would be collected over 10 years rather than through a shorter recovery schedule. Spreading the expense over a longer period would reduce the immediate monthly impact, although customers would ultimately remain responsible for the approved costs.
The proposal applies to the delivery portion of an electric bill, which supports poles, wires, vegetation management, storm restoration and other distribution-system needs. Electricity supply, transmission and other charges are determined through separate processes and would not be frozen by the filing.
Investing in the electric grid
The rate request would support an additional $2.1 billion in base distribution investments as part of JCP&L’s broader five-year, $6.9 billion capital plan. Planned work includes modernizing high-priority circuits, expanding remote monitoring and control capabilities through EnergizeNJ, upgrading transmission infrastructure and continuing energy-efficiency programs.
Vegetation management is another focus of the proposal. Trees remain a leading cause of outages across JCP&L’s 3,200-square-mile service territory, particularly as dead and diseased ash trees threaten overhead electrical equipment.
According to the utility, ash trees damaged by the emerald ash borer have caused 60 percent of its tree-related outages since 2020. JCP&L has removed more than 74,000 dead or diseased ash trees since 2017 and is seeking additional funding to identify and remove hazardous trees before they interrupt service.
Affordability and reliability
The filing comes as residents and businesses face growing concerns about both utility costs and power reliability. JCP&L invested $1.5 billion in capital improvements during the past three years and reported a 15 percent reliability improvement in 2025 compared with 2024, followed by a 38 percent improvement during the first part of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Those gains have not eliminated the effects of severe weather. Storm restoration expenses reached $476 million before the damaging storms of early July, when crews repaired or replaced approximately 1,700 poles in some of the hardest-hit communities.
The BPU will review the filing under Docket No. ER26080420, with public hearings and other opportunities for stakeholder input expected as the case proceeds. Its decision will shape not only what JCP&L customers pay beginning in 2028, but also how quickly the utility can modernize a system facing stronger storms and growing demand.
Sources:
FirstEnergy Corp. JCP&L rate proposal delays bill impact for residential customers until 2028 while supporting reliability investments. https://investors.firstenergycorp.com/investor-materials/news-releases/news-details/2026/JCPL-Rate-Proposal-Delays-Bill-Impact-for-Residential-Customers-Until-2028-While-Supporting-Reliability-Investments/default.aspx
FirstEnergy Corp. Regulatory documents: 2026 Jersey Central Power and Light Company base rate filing. https://www.firstenergycorp.com/jersey_central_power_light/regulatory.html
