Higher costs coming, says ProgressÂ’ CEO

subscribe

Progress Energy CEO Bill Johnson, who will lead the nation's biggest utility company when the merger between Raleigh-based Progress and Charlotte's Duke Energy is completed this year, is suddenly in demand by the national media.

Johnson has taken advantage of his increased national profile to act as the electric industry's ambassador to a broader audience, extending far beyond the borders of North Carolina. In speeches, Johnson has warned of higher energy costs and the perils of misguided regulation.

In the space of a few days, Johnson, 57, has granted interviews to Fox News, The Associated Press, Bloomberg News and Forbes.com. More media interviews are expected as Johnson continues making national appearances at industry conferences and events.

In the filmed Forbes.com interview, Johnson laid out the rationale for the Duke-Progress merger as a matter of economic survival.

"We're a small company compared to the capital program we have ahead of us," Johnson told interviewer Josh Wolfe. "The capital outlay ahead of us is just so daunting that we weren't big enough to do it [alone]."

Johnson was referring to planned nuclear reactors, smart grid transmission upgrades, power plant construction and other major projects that will cost in the tens of billions of dollars.

Johnson spoke to state regulators in Washington, warning them that increased regulation could raise the cost of electricity for the poor and for cash-strapped businesses, along with all other customers.

"Call this regulatory picture what you will — ‘a train wreck’... ‘a tsunami’... or an overdue change that's ultimately do-able," Johnson said. "It's not hard to imagine the customer pushback that will occur because of the resulting increase in the price of electricity. This pushback will come from industrial customers struggling to be competitive, and from residential customers and small businesses struggling to make ends meet. As indicated, I'm especially sensitive to the households of modest means, where energy represents a disproportionately large share of disposable income."

The combined companies expect to save between $600 million and $800 million in fuel costs over five years by jointly operating their power plants for maximum efficiency. That estimated savings will range between 3.3 percent to 4.4 percent on the cost of coal and other fuels needed to run power plants.

Johnson also said that Progress and Duke customers contributed to the merger.

"The other thing that's happened in recent years is customers are using less of the product, so we have an erosion of the top line," Johnson said. "In 2009, for the first time since World War II, there's a 4 percent decline in [electricity] usage nationwide."

Johnson noted that business and commercial customers go through usage cycles, but residential usage had been increasing for a half-century, until the recession crimped the public's appetite for energy.

Related News

ontario-breaks-ground-on-first-small-modular-nuclear-reactor

Ontario Breaks Ground on First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor

OTTAWA - Ontario has initiated the construction of Canada's first small modular nuclear reactor (SMR), marking a significant milestone in the province's energy strategy. This development positions Ontario at the forefront of next-generation nuclear technology within the G7 nations.

The project, known as the Darlington New Nuclear Project, is being led by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) in collaboration with GE Vernova and Hitachi Nuclear Energy. The chosen design is the BWRX-300, a 300-megawatt boiling water reactor that is approximately one-tenth the size and complexity of traditional nuclear reactors. The first unit is expected to be operational by 2029, with plans…

READ MORE
low wind speed turbines

UK peak power prices rise to second highest level since 2018

READ MORE

electricity chart

Canada's nationwide climate success — electricity

READ MORE

electric vehicle

Why subsidies for electric cars are a bad idea for Canada

READ MORE

787 dreamliner

How the 787 uses electricity to maximise efficiency

READ MORE