The Road To New England -- December 7, 2022

Re-posting this story coming out of New Hampshire. We anticipated this story some months ago (see tag, "road_to_New_England"). Also posted here.

Two things jumped out at me in this story:

• again: another New Hampshire journalist not mentioning the state's moratorium on natural gas pipelines which would have solved the problem years ago; and, at the end of the article,
• the finger pointing begins.

New Hampshire.

“It all comes down to liquefied natural gas,” said Sam Evans-Brown, executive director of Clean Energy New Hampshire. The current market volatility, Evans-Brown said, is making electricity both expensive and hard to purchase. [Doesn't mention the natural gas pipeline moratorium.]

 Memo for Clean Energy New Hampshire: it's not LNG, it's the pipelines that carry LNG.

Situation:

Rates are already at all-time historic highs – and there’s no indication that the new rates will provide any relief to those already struggling with high energy costs. For example, when this process played out in Connecticut, rates went from 12 cents per kilowatt hour to 24 cents. In Western Massachusetts, rates went from 15.3 cents to 22 cents, while the eastern part of the state went from 17 to 25.5 cents. Right now, Eversource’s New Hampshire rates are already 22 cents, a rate that’s been in effect since August.

Eversource New Hampshire proposes new rates every six months; the state regulators approve/reject. The new rate begins February, 2023, and the new rates must be provided to the state regulator this week.

New England: its largest electric generator, Mystic Generating Station in Everett, MA, runs on LNG, which the writer reminds readers that LNG is, OMG, a fossil fuel. 

Again, no mention of the pipeline moratorium. 

Now:

• this week, as noted, Eversource New Hampshire needs to propose new rates that become effective, February, 2023

Eversource which generally prices LNG between $2 and $8 is now competing with European prices that are now running $65 to $100. 

The writer than blames the weather (winter -- apparently something new and/or unique in New England) and again fails to mention the pipeline moratorium.

Eversource wants the process to include the states Office of the Consumer Advocate, the Department of Energy, and the Public Utilities Commission. 

The Office of the Consumer Advocate wouldn't go along. He was smart enough to see that Eversource was trying to share the blame or deflect the blame.

It will be fascinating to see what price natural gas (you know, a fossil fuel) suppliers are willing to offer Eversource. 

The action begins this week, on /about December 8, 2022 -- tomorrow.