Customers may submit comments about a rate- increase request by Kentucky Power Co. at four meetings in the company's service region next month, the Kentucky Public Service Commission announced Thursday.

Kentucky Power has asked to spend about $940 million to comply with new federal environmental rules, the PSC said in a release.

The company has estimated that the typical monthly bill for residential customers would increase about $31 a month, or 30 percent, in 2016 to cover the cost, the PSC said.

Frankfort-based Kentucky Power provides service to about 175,000 customers in all or part of 20 Eastern Kentucky counties, according to its Web site.

The meeting schedule is as follows:

■ April 4: 12:30 p.m. at Lawrence County Community Center and 5:30 p.m. at Pikeville High School.

■ April 5: 12:30 p.m. at Letcher County High School and 5:30 p.m. at Perry Central High School.

The first hour of each meeting will include information about the Kentucky Power request and the review process. The public-comment period will start after that.

The PSC will conduct a formal hearing on the request at its office in Frankfort at 10 a.m. April 30.

Written comments about Kentucky Power's request will be accepted until the end of that hearing. People may mail comments to P.O. Box 615, Frankfort, Ky. 40602; fax them to (502) 564-9625; submit them in person; or submit them at Psc.ky.gov. Information on the request also is available at that Web site. The case number is 2011-00401.

Bill Estep: (859) 231-3212. Twitter: @billestep1.