[09/18/02]With a rate-increase request pending, Entergy will drop the fuel component of customers’ bills a bit for electricity used after Oct. 1, a company official said.

On Aug. 16, Entergy filed a request with the Mississippi Public Service Commission, which sets base rates charged to Mississippi customers, for a 7.6 percent increase. If approved, that new rate would go into effect Jan. 1.

A second component in bills, not directly controlled by the PSC, is the “fuel adjustment.” It can rise or fall quarterly, depending on how much Entergy is paying for natural gas or other fuels used to generate power.

Cheryl Comans, customer service manager in Vicksburg, said the utility will lower the adjustment because Entergy is paying less for oil and natural gas.

Overall, the reduction will make rates about 2 percent less than those charged in the previous quarter.

“An average residential bill for October will decrease from $83.05 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours used to $81.32,” Comans said.

Fuel costs are the largest expense in generating electricity. Entergy sells power in 45 Mississippi counties, including most of Warren County.