I wish we had people in Augusta and Newscenter 6 would research rather than mimicking each other. ​

Your electric bill is going up next year. Here's why. | newscentermaine.com
Of course, our experts, Philip Bartlett, PUC Commission Chair and Heather Sanborn, Office of the Public Advocate, know why.
“Unfortunately, natural gas prices have gone up substantially, which is driving up electricity prices,” Bartlett said.

"Unfortunately, there is not much Maine can do to urge electricity rates lower, Sanborn said. The state needs to rely less on natural gas to avoid the volatile pricing that comes with fossil fuel. She said the solution lies in other energy sources."

“The less we are dependent on both natural gas prices and oil prices, the more we can have some predictability and stability in our electricity prices going forward,” Sanborn said.

OK, if it is natural gas, why is it natural gas?

 

ISO-NE says: 

 
  "While Henry and Marcellus hub natural gas prices remained low, at times, New England gas prices rose above hub prices even in relatively mild winter conditions. Quarter 1 and Quarter 4 gas prices averaged over $4/MMBtu, more than $2/MMBtu over hub prices during the winter. Daily gas prices exceeded $10/MMBtu on 22 days in the January and December 2024. "
 
 "The EIA forecasts increasing gas prices over the next few years, with Henry hub natural gas price projections at $3.10/MMBtu in 2025 and $4.00/MMBtu in 2026.24 Demand growth, primarily driven by LNG exports, is expected to outpace supply growth. Future New England prices will likely continue to reflect both hub prices and winter pipeline constraints, with increasing emission prices further contribute to gas generation costs. "
 
Why is the price of natural gas so much higher in New England?
 
ISO-NE says: 
"With limited options for storing natural gas, most natural-gas-fired plants rely on just-in-time fuel delivered to New England through interstate pipelines. However, interstate pipeline infrastructure has only expanded incrementally over the last several decades, even as reliance on natural gas for home heating and for power generation has grown significantly. During cold weather, most natural gas is committed to local utilities for residential, commercial, and industrial heating. As a result, during severe winter weather many power plants in New England cannot obtain fuel to generate electricity. Liquefied natural gas (LNG), brought to New England by ship from overseas, can help fill the gap—but regional LNG storage and sendout capability is limited, and its timely arrival depends on long-term weather forecasts, global market prices, and other logistical challenges."
 
To which Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey says:  
Maura Healey, April 2022, publicly stated that she had "stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state". The claim is captured on video. 
 
  What about carbon allowance costs?
 
ISO-NE says:
 
  "Estimation of CO2 Emission Programs Impact on LMP and Other Market Outcomes In 2024, carbon allowance costs accounted for a larger share of total fossil fuel generation costs than in prior years. To evaluate their impact on energy prices, we simulated the day-ahead energy market and estimated that CO₂ programs added approximately $8/MWh to the average annual energy price on a load-weighted basis—representing 18% of the $44/MWh average LMP. In total, these programs contributed just over $910 million to wholesale energy costs, or 19% of the $5.6 billion annual total. "
Talk about "dirty tricks" Does Newscenter 6 have any idea how and how much Maine's Renewable Portfolio Standard increases supply rates?
 
Standard offer providers (SOP) as well as the more expensive competitive electricity suppliers (CES) are obligated to provide Maine with a portfolio that is 65% renewables. Obviously depending on wind and solar to provide 65% of Maine's electricity would mean mass blackouts, especially this time of year. 
 
So, the SOP and CES, the companies charging what we pay on the supply portion of bills must
somehow buy 65% renewables and that is done by buying paper certificates from renewable generators which can be as much as 5 cents per kilowatt hour. At the same time, SOP and CES must purchase enough reliable power from the New England wholesale market, a market dominated by the large consuming Southern New England States, to assure there is adequate power to keep the lights on in Maine.
 
Isn't it rather perverse that Maine people must pay for useless paper to have electricity delivered to their homes, Newscenter6? 
 
I wish we had people in Augusta and Newscenter 6 would research rather than mimicking each other. ​

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U.S. Sen Angus King

THE UNTOLD STORY OF RECORD HILL WIND

The Untold Story of Record Hill Wind, continued

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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