FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): NIPSCO has put in a request with the state’s utility regulation board to raise their natural gas rates.

The company is asking the Indiana Utility Regulatory commission to approve a 20% increase to the base rate, meaning the average residential customer that pays about $50 a month would see a $10 monthly increase. The utility would see an increase in revenue by more than $143-million.

NIPSCO executive Vice President Violet Sistovaris says the proposal seeks to hit “the right balance” of cost and service, and adds that NIPSCO would remain among the lowest-cost natural gas providers.

The proposal would be phased in over two steps, first in mid-2018 and then in early 2019, if approved. It has been more than 25 years since NIPSCO’s base natural gas rates have increased, and in 2010, a regulatory review led to a slight decrease.