Maine Rejects Default Service Bids for Some Customers at BHE; Sets New Rates for Other Classes at CMP, BHE

The Maine PUC has adopted new Standard Offer rates for several medium and large non-residential customer classes, but rejected bids to serve the large C&I class at Bangor Hydro-Electric.

Specifically, the Maine PUC adopted rates for the medium C&I classes at CMP and BHE for the period September 1, 2013 through February 28, 2014, with prices listed below.

The average new prices are 23.2% and 23.5% higher than current Standard Offer prices for CMP and BHE medium C&I customers, respectively, the PUC said. Compared to the same period last year, the new prices are 17% higher for CMP customers and 18.4% higher for BHE customers, the PUC said.

The PUC also accepted bids to serve the CMP large C&I customer class at a monthly rate indexed to ISO New England pricing (as has been the recent approach).

However, the PUC, "determined that no acceptable bids were provided for large BHE C&I customers."

The PUC directed BHE to file a proposal to provide service for these customers. The PUC reached a similar conclusion in 2011, and at that time adopted a market-based monthly pricing mechanism similar to the index approach now used for the large C&I class at CMP and rejected at BHE.

Approved medium non-residential Standard Offer rates for the six-month period beginning September 1, 2013 are as follows ($/kWh):

CMP Medium C&I Class:
Sep-13    $0.05627
Oct-13    $0.05501
Nov-13    $0.06175
Dec-13    $0.08438
Jan-14    $0.10015
Feb-14    $0.09418

BHE Medium C&I Class:
Sep-13    $0.05325
Oct-13    $0.05200
Nov-13    $0.05935
Dec-13    $0.08380
Jan-14    $0.09875
Feb-14    $0.09930