Lori Clark is President and CEO of NB Power. (Archive photo)
We have made the decision to request a provisional rate on April 1st in order to avoid a drop in revenue that would have potentially been passed on to the customer, said NB Power President and CEO Lori Clark in an email Friday.
NB Power was seeking permission to increase its rates not only to improve its financial situation, but also because of what the Crown corporation called unforeseen events, particularly the outages at the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant.
A final decision from the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board is not expected before July 1, says NB Power spokesperson Dominique Couture.
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Martin St-Louis must be absent for family reasons
ELSE ON INFO: Martin St-Louis must be absent for family reasonsLoading
Martin St-Louis must be absent for family reasons
ELSE ON INFO: Martin St-Louis must be absent for family reasons
Today's decision allows us to implement the new rate until a final decision is made. If the commission decides on a lower rate in its final decision, we will adjust the invoices accordingly, she explains.
The chief Green Party leader David Coon said the increase was going to be hard to swallow for those who live paycheck to paycheck or who can't even keep their heads above water. David Coon believes it is completely inappropriate for the commission to approve an interim rate increase before holding hearings to determine why the increase is necessary. “I'm pretty shocked that the Energy and Utilities Commission would grant this rate increase without reviewing the evidence supporting the increase,” he said.
Based on reporting by Sam Farley, CBC