A plan by Gov. Martin O’Malley to make state utilities buy offshore wind energy will not cost ratepayers as much as some had feared, according to the state Public Service Commission.

The average homeowner’s electric bill – which can easily reach $200 or $300 a month in summer – would jump between 92 cents and $3 a month under O’Malley’s offshore wind proposal, members of the PSC wrote in testimony to lawmakers in Annapolis.

The Senate Finance Committee is set to consider O’Malley’s plan that would mandate utilities to sign 25-year contracts to purchase electricity generated by offshore wind turbines.

Lawmakers have raised concerns about estimates that Maryland homeowners could pay as much as $9 more each month under the proposal.