Morrisville utility also pleads anti-blackout benefit of keeping Green River Reservoir dam open
MORRISTOWN — Another area utility is requesting a rate increase.
Morristown Water & Light last week filed for an 11.25 percent rate hike with the Vermont Public Utilities Commission. General manager Scott Johnstone says the increase will not go into effect until the request is granted.
Johnstone also says the utility is in the same spot as other nearby electric companies, having to cover the increased cost for purchased power, largely because of natural gas shortages.
Washington Electric Cooperative, which serves 11,000 customers in 41 towns, asked for a 14.2 percent increase. Morrisville Water & Light’s 11.25 percent increase is likely to be the highest the state would allow, and it might get approved at a lower rate.
The commission has not yet acted on any of the requests.
Embattled dam necessary to avoid gas shortage power blackouts – The natural gas shortage also makes Vermont more prone to blackouts if State demands lead to the shutdown of Morrisville Water & Light’s Green River Reservoir dam, Johnstone told his board of directors earlier this month, the December 15 News & Citizen reports. A cold snap could divert so much natural gas to heating large southern New England cities that utilities won’t have enough to make power. If that happens, Vermont will sorely need non-fossil fuel power like the Green River Reservoir dam, he said.
The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources says the dam and the resulting Green River Reservoir have caused environmental damage. In addition to powering the carbon-free hydro dam, the reservoir is a popular recreational area.
– Includes content tepublished from Newport Dispatch.