Low methane-power production, high cost of natural gas blamed for proposed WEC 14% hike
lines maintained by Washington Electric Co-op (WEC photo).
On Monday, the Vermont Electric Cooperative filed a rate increase of 8.19% for the new year.
That filing with the Vermont Public Service Board comes after Washington Electric Cooperative filed a rate increase of 14.19% earlier this fall.
WEC, based in East Montpelier, serves customers in Bradford, Chelsea, Corinth, Groton, Newbury, Orange, Peacham, Ryegate, Vershire, and elsewhere in north central Vermont.
WEC cited declining production at its Coventry landfill gas-to-electricity plant and high prices on the volatile wholesale market as the primary drivers behind the rate increase.
“Necessary work by Casella at the landfill to expand its capacity, which began last year, resulted in less usable gas reaching WEC’s plant,” wrote WEC General Manager Louis Porter in the utility’s newsletter. “That decrease in production over the winter coincided with a cold January and with global volatility in the supply and cost of energy. That was based largely on the natural gas supply and cost, much of it related to the war in Ukraine.”
VELCO also cited the rising cost of wholesale power purchases in its rate increase filing with the Public Service Board.
Republished from the November 16 free online newsletter of the Journal-Opinion, the community newspaper for Bradford and surrounding towns in three Vermont counties and in New Hampshire.
Categories: Energy
I remember during the height of the Enron scandal, when they were intentionally dropping electricity production in California to jack up the rates, causing national outrage, and Governor Howard Dean pointed out that Vermont had an electric company with even higher rates- Washington Electric Co-op. I’m so glad my electricity is green, though. I’m saving the planet, and it makes me a better human being than you. Can’t wait to fill up my state-mandated child-slave-labor made electric car at these green energy prices, and save the planet even more!
Spoken like a Liberal. Funny part is your car has created more damage to the environment than any Gas powered. You have zero clue how much oil is used to produce your car. Always go with the Democrat Propaganda…
Spoken like a man who doesn’t know what sarcasm is.
C’mon. Bragging about my state-mandated child-slave-labor made car? 🤣
There was a Chevy Volt EV battery needed after 77K miles. Guess what it cost…
Aug. 22 – $29,842.15
What will they do when we run out of lithium deposits?
Hey Wokes, explain how fuel stopped by the Ukraine war was getting to Vermont, either as fuel or as electricity generated in other states, thus causing a power increase now? — This is pure BS.
Fuel is being diverted from New England to supply Western Europe, thus blame Obama/Biden/Clinton (the liberal face of corporatism) for starting the war against Russia by supporting the keleptocrats and nazis in the Ukraine…
Our tax dollars support real nazi’s to be laundered through FTX for slush funds for Bought Becca
What?! Vermont has giant wind turbines that desecrated our mountain tops and solar fields plastered all over our once wide open, green fields! How can our green energy not be working to reduce our energy costs? Reeeeeeeeeeee
Folks, we get most of our electricity from hydro Quebec…. Its all a pile of poop