SAIPAN – The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation’s Fuel Adjustment Charge climbed from $0.24500 to $0.44489 per kilowatt-hour Friday after the Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission approved CUC’s petition at its business meeting. The new rate took effect the same day.
The 82% increase reflects April 2026 global Ultra-Low Sulfur diesel fuel prices, which doubled from March 2026, CUC said. The utility attributed the rise to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East driving up global fuel prices.
CUC filed the FAC petition on March 31.
The utility also disclosed that its calculated FAC for May 2026 is $0.60481 per kWh. That rate has not yet been petitioned to the CPUC.
The FAC is one of two components of CUC’s electric charge and is used exclusively to recover fuel and fuel-related costs, according to the release. The CUC Base Rate, the other component, has not increased since April 2014 and funds personnel, operations, capital projects, debt service and other non-fuel expenses.
Ultra-Low Sulfur diesel is fundamentally different from the gasoline used in most passenger cars, CUC said. While both are refined from crude oil, they have different chemical compositions, densities and methods of combustion.
The FAC was previously known as the Levelized Energy Adjustment Clause, or LEAC. The rate applies uniformly to residential, commercial, government and municipal pumping customers.
