Update: Recall that the PUCO issued an Order on May 29, 2013, approving AEP-Ohio’s 2013 Distribution Investment Rider (“DIR”) plan conditioned upon AEP-Ohio providing quarterly status reports to PUCO Staff, informing PUCO Staff of ongoing construction activities, and quantifying actual reliability improvements achieved for any program expected to reduce outages.  The PUCO also directed AEP-Ohio to work with PUCO Staff to develop its 2014 DIR plan.

OCC filed an application for rehearing arguing that the PUCO erred by: 1) failing to require AEP-Ohio to file a DIR plan that complies with the ESP Order; 2) requiring customers to pay for reliability improvements that AEP-Ohio is unwilling or unable to provide; 3) failing to require AEP-Ohio to separate the components of the DIR plan for the rate zones of CSP and OP; and 4) relying on information not in the record.  On August 21, 2013, the PUCO issued an entry on rehearing finding no merit in OCC’s assertions, thus, denying OCC’s application for rehearing in its entirety.  Thus, this case is now concluded unless an appeal is filed, which we think unlikely.  AEP-Ohio will now proceed with its plan to replace aging infrastructure in order to improve service reliability.  As previously directed by the PUCO, AEP-Ohio must work with PUCO Staff and focus distribution maintenance spending in areas that will have the greatest impact on maintaining and improving reliability for customers.