Managers Message

February 2011

Future Power Costs

 

Dear Members;

 

While the Benton REA Board of Trustees has worked diligently to avoid a rate increase in 2011, we all know that rate increases are on the horizon.  While being frugal in operating your cooperative, the board, management, and employees have continued to construct and maintain the necessary electrical facilities to provide safe and reliable service. No expenditures were made unless there was a direct benefit to the membership.  In fact, absent wholesale power increases, the current rates could remain unchanged for the foreseeable future.  This means that future rate increases are being driven by wholesale power costs, not the internal costs of running our cooperative.

 

Over the next few months, as part of my Manager’s Message, I will be discussing why wholesale power costs are increasing.  While there isn’t much we can do about the future cost of wholesale power, it is important to know what’s behind the increases.

 

We will be discussing the following topics and how these affect the cost of wholesale power:

 

                Generation Capacity of the Columbia River System

                Integration of New Renewable Generating Resources

                Preference Power

                Energy Conservation

                Climate Change and Green House Gas

                New Public Utilities

 

We know that retail rate increases are on the horizon, let’s work together to inform others of the reasons!!!  After all that is "The Cooperative Way.”

 

Sincerely,

Charles Dawsey

General Manager