RI Energy President Faces Questions About Rates, Nuclear Power and Enviro Costs
RI Energy President Faces Questions About Rates, Nuclear Power and Enviro Costs
Cornett has headed Rhode Island Energy for a little more than a year. The company has faced significant criticism for increased costs.
One of the first questions was from Russ Hryzan asked, "Pascoag Utility, it's now called I think Clear River Electric, is 7 cents a kilowatt and Rhode Island Energy is 15 cents a kilowatt, why?"
Cornett said, “Great question, the short answer is they operate they're allowed to operate under state law under a very different set of procurement requirements and public policy requirements than is applicable to Rhode Island Energy, particularly the Act on Climate and related obligations that that we have. When the General Assembly passed that bill years ago, they actually made the decision to exempt Pascoag from those requirements.”
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW AND HEAR ALL THE QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES ABOVE
Debbie Smith asked why is she not being paid as much by Rhode Island Energy for the energy her 39 solar panels generate as she did by National Grid.
“There shouldn't be a difference there in terms of the rates, that rate structure has not changed. So you know, without seeing specifics of her bill, understanding usage and those kinds of things, I can't specifically answer her question I would say to her, call our call center at 855-743-1101. Feel free to say that I said on GoLocal that she should call and ask and we'll take a look at her account and make sure that she's getting the right amount of credits,” said Cornet.
Unaffordable
A major theme of the questions from Rhode Islanders was the rate at which energy costs are increasing in the State and that for some, they simply cannot afford to pay their bills.
Cornett said, “We're required to bill for services rendered that's part of the regulatory regime under which we operate, and every utility across the country operates. We do have certain approved programs that first and foremost we can put folks on a billing plan. I get that that might not be optimal for everybody but it's not like if you can't pay your bill right now we we can help with putting you on a payment plan. We have arrearage management plans depending on what an individual's situation is and whether they qualify for certain federal or state funding, LIHEAP programs, and we can assist with that. We also have a low-income rate, which is a significant discount for residential customers if they qualify.”
During the 40-minute interview, Cornett also discussed the impact of some of the Governor and General Assembly’s mandates and their impacts on energy costs.
He said that one potential way to lower costs is to tap into new sources of supply, including the nuclear power plant in Connecticut — the Millstone plant in Waterford, Connecticut.
If you have not had an opportunity to submit a question for Cornett, please feel free to email GoLocal, and we will work to get an answer.