Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) must improve its reliability in order to help ease the burden of soaring electric bills and prevent nagging outages, Ocean County officials said.
The company, one of New Jersey’s four public electricity providers, is facing new pressure from county leaders to implement projects and maintenance amid concerns of growing energy costs.
“JCP&L needs to concentrate less on profits and more on serving its customers,” Ocean County Commissioner Deputy Director Frank Sadeghi said in a statement.
“That means upgrading the infrastructure, trimming trees to prevent falling limbs from taking down power lines, and moving more lines underground where they will be protected from storms and high winds,” he added.
JCP&L did not immediately return a request to comment.
JCP&L, a subsidiary of First Energy Corp., splits the supply of power to Ocean County with Atlantic City Electric, according to the coverage map.
The added pressure on utility companies comes amid an ongoing debate about costly electric bills in New Jersey. Energy policies to alleviate the problem have been in the spotlight in the run up to November’s gubernatorial election.
In June, when increases began for all of New Jersey’s 3.9 million public ratepayers, JCP&L customers saw their average monthly bills increase by $23, or about 20%, Ocean County officials said. Average bills increased from $112 a month to more than $134 a month.
Sadeghi said those increases could be consequential for his constituents, influencing them to cover utility costs over other necessities.
“Too many of our residents are already struggling to make ends meet,” Sadeghi said in a statement. “When utility bills go up by this much, families may have to decide between keeping the lights on, buying food, or paying for medicine. That is simply unacceptable.”
The Ocean County Commissioners Board on Thursday also urged JCP&L to finish upgrades to its grid, claiming there have been lengthy delays. The commissioners argued delays leave customers vulnerable if a major storm ravages sensitive areas, including Jersey Shore towns.
“We all remember Superstorm Sandy,” Sadeghi said. “Ocean County experienced widespread outages then, and the same thing will happen again if a hurricane strikes and JCP&L is not better prepared. We cannot allow history to repeat itself.”
Hundreds of millions of dollars in state relief for energy costs are expected to hit New Jerseyans’ electric bills within weeks after the state’s Board of Public Utilities approved a massive effort to defray energy bills. Through separate payments, all of New Jersey’s public electricity customers should receive a $100 subsidy ordered by Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration. Some customers will see up to $275 in relief.
