April 29 (Reuters) - Edison International ( EIX ) beat

Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit on Tuesday, as

the utility benefited from lower operating and interest expenses

and higher rates for its services.

Lower interest rates reduce borrowing costs for power

companies, which usually need more capital for expenses such as

maintaining and upgrading the electric grid.

Interest expenses at Edison fell 32.2% to $301 million in

the first quarter, while total operating expenses fell 56.2% to

$1.7 billion.

Power bills are expected to go up as fresh power supply

struggles to keep up with rising demand from AI data centers,

increased domestic manufacturing and extreme weather conditions

like wildfires.

Southern California Edison (SCE), Edison's unit, has been

facing multiple lawsuits which allege that its electrical

equipment started one of the major wildfires in the Los Angeles

area - the Eaton fire.

"We are working closely with state and county leaders and

the communities of Altadena and Malibu to rebuild

wildfire-impacted areas," CEO Pedro Pizarro said.

"Once constructed, SCE's grid hardening in these areas will

increase reliability and reduce the exposure of electrical

distribution infrastructure to high wind and other extreme

weather events" Pizarro added.

The company reaffirmed its full-year 2025 forecast for

adjusted earnings in a range of $5.94 per share to $6.34 per

share. Analysts have estimated them at $6.01 per share.

The Rosemead, California-based company posted an adjusted

profit of $1.37 per share for the quarter ended March 31,

compared with analysts' estimate of $1.20 per share, according

to data compiled by LSEG.