PORTLAND, Maine — Utility regulators will be in Bangor on Wednesday for a public hearing on Emera Maine’s proposal to raise the average monthly bill by about $2.40.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission will hold the hearing to seek public input on the utility’s request to recover the costs of certain system upgrades and compensate for lower energy use revenue.
Overall, the company has proposed raising its revenue for power distribution to about $86.6 million, up from about $80 million, or 8.3 percent. For an average household customer, using 500 kilowatt-hours of energy per month, the utility estimates that would raise the monthly bill by $2.40. The utility has about 159,000 customers.
Emera Maine President Alan Richardson and other company officials said in filings that the utility’s new Hampden operations facility, a new Acadia substation and associated power lines and a new customer information system all contributed to the increase.
The new customer billing system, replacing one that was 19 years old, ended up costing about 80 percent more than initially projected.
That cost overrun for the now $30.9 million project prompted regulators to open a related audit of Emera’s management, which will be incorporated into the rate case along with the public hearing set for Wednesday. Emera said the project was underbid by vendor Cayenta Utilities at the outset but added that the final cost is still less than the next lowest bid.
Richardson testified that the increase is not driven by increases in operating costs, with savings from changes to its retiree medical plan.
The commission’s public witness hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Bangor Hilton Garden Inn, at 250 Haskell Road. Members of the public will be able to provide sworn testimony that could become evidence in the rate case or present unsworn argument.
The commission said in a news release that it expects to issue its decision in the rate case later this fall.