Ellington

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Customers of Mississippi's two private electric utilities will see lower bills in February, but regulators will re-examine natural gas costs to see if bills should fall further.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission voted Tuesday to approve lower fuel costs for both Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power Co.

Bills for Entergy customers will fall $80 million overall. Residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours monthly will see bills fall by $6.80.

Mississippi Power will collect $117 million less for fuel costs. Combined with a decrease in rates paying for part of the $6.5 billion Kemper County power plant, typical residential bills will fall to $125 a month from $144.

Both utilities must resubmit natural gas projections this month for staffers to examine whether decreasing gas prices mean rates should fall further.