Alabama Power Rate Freeze: The "freeze" through 2027 and what they're not telling you

Alabama Power's "Rate Freeze": More Like a Slow Cooker of BS?

So, Alabama Power wants to "freeze" rates for two years? Oh, how generous of them. Let's be real, folks: corporations don't do anything out of the goodness of their hearts. There's always a catch, a hidden fee, a way to screw you over just a little bit slower. It's like they're saying, "Hey, we'll delay the pain, so you won't notice us slowly bleeding you dry."

Executive VP Moses Feagin claims this is about "rate stability." Right. I’d bet my last dollar it's more about avoiding pitchforks and torches, especially with all the scrutiny they've been under lately.

The company line is that "budgets are tight," and they're just looking out for us little guys. Give me a break. This is the same company that's been greenlighting massive data center projects, knowing damn well who's going to foot the bill for all that extra juice. Sen. Katie Britt gets it – she wants assurances that we won't be paying for big tech's energy addiction. Good luck with that, Senator.

The Fine Print Is Always a Killer

Christina Tidwell from the Southern Environmental Law Center hit the nail on the head: we need "full bill transparency." Without it, we're just blindly trusting a company that has every incentive to hide the truth. It's like trusting a fox to guard the henhouse. You know, that reminds me of my own internet bill... why the hell am I paying for "premium sports package" when I only watch cat videos?

Daniel Tait from Energy Alabama calls it a "deferral strategy, not a reduction." Translation: they're kicking the can down the road, hoping we'll forget about it by 2028. It's a classic PR move. "Look busy, say nothing."

What Are They Really Up To?

They're delaying the Lindsay Hill plant rate increase, which was supposed to hit us in January 2027. That's…nice? But what about all the other rate schedules? What about the environmental compliance costs? What about the fuel cost factor? Are those frozen too, or are they just waiting to jack those up while we're not looking?

Alabama Power wants to dip into the Natural Disaster Reserve and use nuclear production tax credits to make this all work. So, they're robbing Peter to pay Paul, and then patting themselves on the back for their "generosity." It's infuriating.

The PSC will "consider" this proposal on December 2nd. I’m sure they will. I wonder how much campaign money Alabama Power has donated to those commissioners over the years? You see, that's how the world works.

Then again, maybe I'm just being cynical. Maybe Alabama Power really does care about us. Maybe pigs will fly. Maybe...nah.

So, What's the Real Story?

This ain't a rate freeze; it's a slow burn. They're just turning down the heat for a little while, so we don't realize we're still cooking.