ALBANY - The New York State Public Service Commission Wednesday adopted a three-year rate plan for Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc.’s electric delivery service. Rates for the company’s electric delivery service have not been increased generally since 1993.

“There is never a good time to increase rates for service; but the Commission would be remiss in discharging its obligation to require utilities to provide safe and adequate electric service without providing sufficient revenue to do so,” said Commission Chairman Garry Brown. “The consequences of unsafe and unreliable electric service are not acceptable.”

The commission authorized O&R to increase rates for electric delivery services in order to generate incremental annual electric revenues of nearly $15.6 million in each of the three rate years ending June 30, 2009, 2010, and 2011. This amount results in an increase in total company electric revenues of approximately 2.5 percent per year.

The rate plan continues customer service performance and system reliability targets designed to ensure that customers receive a high level of service and that outages are minimized to the greatest extent possible. If targets are not met, the rate plan provides that up to approximately $2.7 million of company electric revenues could be forgone annually.