Media Contact: Gil Alexander, (626) 302-2255
ROSEMEAD, Calif., Aug.12, 2010 — The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved an extension of energy rate discounts to help retain, expand, and attract California businesses served by Southern California Edison (SCE).
The program offers a discount to companies who, without the discount, would shut down or relocate outside California due to high operating costs. Qualifying businesses may receive up to a 12 percent discount on their electricity rate for a five-year period, subject to specifications in the applicable tariff.
The rate discount is available to businesses with 200 kilowatts or more of electrical “demand” (the amount of energy needed at a point in time). Applicants must document that their electricity usage would not be retained, added or located within California without the availability of the discounted rate.
SCE proposed the discount in order to help address the drop in manufacturing employment within California. State labor statistics show California lost more than 190,000 jobs – or one-eighth of the total manufacturing jobs – since July 2007.
“Retaining and attracting businesses means more jobs for the communities we serve,” said Lisa Cagnolatti, vice president of SCE’s Business Customer Division. “That’s good for our customers and for Southern California.”
Customers wishing to find out if they qualify for the rate discount program, or wanting to begin the application process, can contact SCE’s Economic Development Services team at (909) 357-6504 or economicdevelopment@sce.com.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.
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