The Vermont Energy Partnership (VTEP) today published ‘Vermont’s Electricity Outlook,’an issue brief which examines Vermont’ electricity supply today and through 2016, when the state’s utilities are projected to have commitments tomeet 60 percent of estimateddemand. Electricity sourced from hydro, natural gas, nuclear, and wind ‘mostly imported from neighboring states and Canada ‘will provide the lion’s share of Vermont’s electricity.
Other key findings include:
Nuclear power will comprise a little more than 12 percent of the total power in 2016, compared to about32 percent prior to 2012.
Barring major unforeseen changes, Vermont’s utilities are unlikely to receive significantly more electricity from methane, solar, or biomass generation. By 2016, instate and out-of-state wind power may provide about nine percent of Vermont’s electricity.
Sources under discussion for the uncommitted energy include: 1) continuing to make up the shortfall with ‘market’power from the New England grid that is fossil-fuel heavy; 2) adding transmission line capacity to access more Canadian hydro power; and 3) increasing the amount of electricity derived from natural gas by adding pipeline capacity to access New York and Canadian reserves and building a gas-powered generating station in Vermont.
The issue brief does not address the subject of projected energy costs because specific pricing information on existing contracts is generally not readily available to the public. State energy policy makers should establish more transparency and clarity in energy pricing for the sake of greater certainty for the Vermont business sector.
The briefing paper can be viewed via the following link: Vermont’s Electricity Outlook: Today through 2016, http://www.vtep.org/documents/07-30-12%20FINAL-VT-Electricity%20Porfolio...
Source: Vermont Energy Partnership.July 30, 2012/Montpelier, VT ‘The Vermont Energy Partnership (http://www.vtep.org/) is a diverse group of more than 90 business, labor, and community leaders committed to finding clean, safe, affordable and reliable electricity solutions for Vermont. Entergy, owner of Vermont Yankee, is a member of the Vermont Energy Partnership.