PEI delays rate hike

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND - The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission is delaying a controversial plan to change electricity rates for large residential customers to allow for more public consultation.

Maritime Electric was planning a new scheme of power rates that will eliminate the two-tier residential rate system, which gives lower rates to customers who consume a lot of electricity.

That price change was scheduled for April 1 and it would have dramatically increased electricity costs for hundreds of Island farmers.

Both Energy Minister Richard Brown and the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture spoke out against the move.

The agriculture federation said the change would have pushed their electrical costs up 25 to 30 per cent.

Maritime Electric asked the regulatory board to delay the policy change, so there could be more public consultation.

The policy change was approved by the board back in 2008.

At that time, IRAC approved a Maritime Electric request to eliminate the two-tiered pricing system to customers who used large amounts of electricity. It was to be phased out over three years, and completely eliminated this April.

Related News

wyoming wind farm

Wyoming wind boost for US utility

WYOMING - US company Black Hills Energy has received regulatory approval to increase the size of its Corriedale wind farm in Wyoming to over 52MW from 40MW previously.

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission approved the additional 12.5MW capacity after the Wyoming Public Service Commission determined the boost was within commission rules.

Black Hills Energy will install five additional turbines, raising the project cost to $79m from $57m.
Corriedale will be built near Cheyenne and is expected to be placed in service in late 2020.

Black Hills said that during the initial subscription period for its Renewable Ready program, applications of interest from…

READ MORE
tariffs-on-chinese-electric-vehicles

Tariffs on Chinese Electric Vehicles

READ MORE

Energy experts: US electric grid not designed to withstand the impacts of climate change

READ MORE

solar panels

Californians Learning That Solar Panels Don't Work in Blackouts

READ MORE

usa grid

Coronavirus and the U.S. grid: What to know

READ MORE