WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Corporation Commission approved a rate increase for natural gas customers of Black Hills Energy.

The Wichita Eagle reports the KCC on Tuesday approved an increase that will cost the average customer about of $3 a year. The settlement gives Black Hills an overall increase of $5.23 million. But customers were already paying about $4.5 million of that through special riders on their bills.
The company applied for a $5.1 million net increase in April, which would have raised the average bill by $4.17 a month, or about $50 a year.

Black Hills serves about 110,000 customers in Kansas. The company said it needed the rate hike because of increased operating costs and $51 million in infrastructure and line extension costs.