ARDMORE, Okla. - Oklahoma Gas and Electric customers should expect to see an average increase of about $15 per month beginning on their July bills to pay for higher fuel prices.

The state's largest utility announced yesterday the increase will begin on July 1st.

The utility said it needs an additional $30 per month from customers to keep pace with rising costs, but has opted to defer half of this increase until fall when most people use less electricity and overall power bills are lower.

OG&E spokesman Gene Fryer says the increase is the result of rising costs of natural gas and other fuels used to generate electricity.

"The price that we were paying per unit of natural gas was about $7. We presently are paying $11.50."

By law, the utility recovers only the actual costs of the fuels it uses, and the increase does not require approval by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

"This is a pass-through charge that OG&E has that is approved by the corporation commission of the state of Oklahoma. There is no profit or money made on the fuel adjustment charge, it's strictly a pass-through. What we pay for fuel is passed on to our customers," Fryer said.

Public Service Company of Oklahoma, a Tulsa-based utility, already has implemented its fuel-cost adjustment.

That $15 charge will appear on the July billing cycle.

OG&E serves almost 800,000 retail customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas.