Electrical grid operator meets with New Hampshire consumers amid high rates
Report says Granite Staters pay second-highest electrical rates in country
Report says Granite Staters pay second-highest electrical rates in country
Report says Granite Staters pay second-highest electrical rates in country
As a new report says that New Hampshire has the second-most expensive electricity in the country, the region's grid operator says high fuel costs and new infrastructure are driving rates.
The report from Sunpower said that New Hampshire's electricity rates are second only to Hawaii's, at an average cost of 32 cents per kilowatt-hour.
ISO New England, which runs the power grid, met Thursday in Portsmouth with electricity customers to explain why the rates are set as they are.
"Ratepayers are mad, and I think ISO New England needs to hear about that," said Donald Kreis, the state's consumer advocate.
Officials with ISO New England said some of the factors leading to the high prices are high fuel costs and new infrastructure projects.
"There's just a lot of activity on all fronts in the electric sector," said Bob Ethier, vice president of system planning for ISO New England. "There's increased demand, there's the need for new infrastructure and there's going to be new generation happening, and people need to stay plugged into all that."
Officials also discussed decisions being made for the future.
"In an era of climate change, every decision is also about the future, and it's about whether life thrives on this planet, and so we really need to be full participants in those choices," said the Rev. Kendra Ford, of ISO New England's Consumer Liaison Group.
Some of the big topics discussed at Thursday's meeting of the Consumer Liaison Group include the transition away from fossil fuels and the role ISO New England should play.
"Can we really push the edge on how quickly we transition that grid, and can we make sure it's really just?" Ford said.
Questions were raised about how to decarbonize the grid and make it more affordable.
"Transmission costs money," Ethier said. "It's expensive, and it's also going to be appearing in people's backyards. So, it's important that people understand why we need to do these things and what we're going to get out of it once we do build the system upgrades."
ISO New England said that a current focus is on offshore wind and it's building resources and facilities across the region with that in mind.