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NEWS RELEASE
Maine Public Utilities
Commission
Website: http://www.maine.gov/mpuc/, Email: maine.puc@maine.gov
CONTACT: Phillip
Lindley, 207.287.1598, phil.lindley@maine.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25,
2006
Electric Standard Offer
Prices To Increase in March for
Commercial and Industrial
Customers
AUGUSTA, MAINE – Yesterday, the Maine PUC accepted bids for new standard offer energy prices for medium and large commercial and industrial (C&I) customers of Central Maine Power Company (CMP) and Bangor Hydro-Electric Company (BHE). The prices are effective for a six-month term beginning March 1, 2006.
“The market continues to punish consumers,” said Kurt Adams, Chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission. For CMP customers, the new prices are, on average over the term, about 9.5 cents/kWh for the medium class and 10.2 cents/kWh for the large class. These increases will be partially offset by reductions in CMP’s delivery charges. On a combined basis (delivery and standard offer charges), the increase for CMP medium C&I customers will be about 8.5% and for CMP large customers about 15%. For BHE customers the new standard offer prices, on average, are about 9.8 cents/kWh for the both classes. The combined increases for BHE customers will be about 10% for medium and 19% for large.
The market
price increases result from continued increases in oil and natural gas, the
fuels that dominate
The names of
the suppliers chosen to provide the standard offer service will be released
after a two-week period to allow supply arrangements to be completed. Under
The RFPs that resulted in the bids accepted yesterday were issued in December 2005. The RFPs sought prices for a six-month term. The Commission prefers a relatively short term such as six-months for these customer classes to allow standard offer prices to track market changes and, thereby, better enable other retail suppliers to compete. The shorter term will also allow other retail suppliers to compete by offering customers longer terms with price stability.
Standard offer service is the default supply for electricity customers, which means that customers receive it only if they have not purchased supply from another retail supplier on their own or through an aggregator. Currently, approximately 10% of the electric load of CMP and 45% of the electric load of BHE large customers and about 65% of the load of CMP and BHE medium customers is supplied by standard offer service; the remaining customers receive their energy supply from other retail suppliers. Even though standard offer price increases will not directly impact most large customers and a substantial amount of medium customers, they are a window on what is happening in the marketplace.
Residential
and small commercial customers of CMP and BHE, who are unaffected by today's
decision, will continue to receive standard offer service at prices determined
earlier this year – 8.38 cents/kWh for CMP customers and 8.71 cents/kWh for BHE
customers. The residential/small
commercial prices remain in effect through February of 2007.
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Standard Offer and Delivery Rates:
http://www.maine.gov/mpuc/industries/electricity/standard_offer/standard_offer_rates.html
All PUC News
Releases may be found on our website at: http://www.maine.gov/mpuc/staying_informed/news/press_release.shtml
To arrange an
interview with Chairman Adams or Commissioners Diamond or Reishus, please
contact Phillip Lindley at 207.287.1598 or by e-mail at phil.lindley@maine.gov. The Commission’s website may be accessed
through the