PPL Electric Utilities will begin hosting hearings next week on its proposed rate increase.

"It's a chance for the public to share thoughts and opinions," said Kurt Blumenau, company spokesman.

A hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 21 at the Commonwealth Keystone Building in Harrisburg is the closest one to York, where PPL serves about 8,000 customers.

At issue is a potential rate increase that will grow bills by 6 percent, causing the customer to pay an average of an extra $7 a month, he said.

PPL plans to use the increase to offset costs from making investments in its delivery system, Blumenau said.

"We have equipment that's reaching the end of its useful life," he said.

The utility company has been rebuilding electrical lines and replacing substations and transformers -- most of which were built in the 1950s and 1960s, he said.

PPL is also trying to recoup the $24 million it spent to repair damage caused

by storms, Blumenau said.

"The major driver of the increase is to keep our systems strong," he said.

Last month, the state's Office of Consumer Advocate began investigating whether PPL's financial status can justify a rate hike. PPL would gain an 11.25 percent profit -- or $104 million per year -- in operating revenue, which company officials claim is needed, according to a filing with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

In addition to the Harrisburg hearing, customers can also be heard in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre on Monday and Bethlehem and Allentown on Wednesday.

Consumers who are unable to attend the hearings can also share their opinions by writing to Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, P.O. Box 3265, Harrisburg, PA 17105-3265.

-- Candy Woodall can also be reached at cwoodall@yorkdispatch.com.