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HECO/HELCO is asking the PUC for authorization to buy biofuels from Aina Koa Pono at $200 per barrel and asking for authorization to pass the cost straight through to the rate payer.
The PUC hearing will be at Hilo High Cafeteria on Oct 29th at 6:00 pm. AKP is attempting to produce a product that is twice as productive as palm oil, the only biofuel that can compete with fossil fuel heads up. Their technology is unproven. And they do not know what crops they will grow.
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For the sake of comparison, does this "biofuel" have the same BTU content as the oil it's replacing? $200 bbl seems way high to me...
Puna: Our roosters crow first
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about the price of retail propane?
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Can I just mention how ice it is to have just gotten off-grid for part of our property (and more coming)? The hell with Helco - I'm very tired of their controlling money-focused pandering and environmental thrashings.
-- rainshadow
-- rainshadow
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We all need to submit testimony to the PUC at this meeting, and hopefully, HELCO will NOT get their 4%+ rate hike, nor will they be able to (for the second time) shove Aina Koa Pono down our throats at our expense. Mr. Ha is right.
It is curious that a Mr. Robert Clarke sits on the board of AKP, also on the board of ORMAT/PGV, and is retired from the top echelon of HEI (as in CEO!). Makes one wonder about the connections involved.
http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=277856&ticker=ORMT:IT&previousCapId=4306112&previousTitle=ORMAT%20TECHNOLOGIES%20INC
SAY
NO TO RATE HIKE AND AKP!!! (JMO)
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As it is, it cost them 8 cents to produce 1 kwh, our current rate is .41 cents. I'm all for letting a company make a profit, but this is HIGHWAY ROBBERY
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FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS FOR A FAIR RATE[8D]
If approved, the hike would add $8.32 to a typical 500 kilowatt-hour monthly electric bill. The increase would result in
$19.8 million in additional revenue for the Big Island’s electrical utility.
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Pahoated: Very well stated. And from this article you reference this morning (*Snipped)
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections...-near.html
Hawaii Electric Light Co. is reviewing offers by two of its power producers to stop tying energy costs to the price of oil.
Curtis Beck, HELCO energy services department manager, said the utility has received proposals from Puna Geothermal Venture and an unnamed energy supplier seeking to renegotiate contracts to set fixed rates.
The result could mean lower costs for customers and more predictable rates for producers.
HELCO should be done reviewing PGV’s offer in the next two weeks, and then “provide them with a counter-offer,” he said.
Thomsen said it could take months or more, and noted that PGV’s last contract with HELCO took three years to complete.
Beck said HELCO is preparing to provide the County Council with an update at its Nov. 9 meeting, though a presentation has not been scheduled.
Thomsen said PGV will hold a community meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pahoa High and Intermediate School to provide an update on its operations and changes to the way it reports noise on its website.
One extremely valid point you make (pahoated) is the PUC meeting must focus on rate hike request and AKP. Nothing else. Lord knows how many hours can be spent with pro and anti geothermal discussions. Please people, let's let the PUC know we are not going to accept any rate hike, nor bear AKP's cost to do business here with unproven technology. Especially at $200 a barrel cost. Totally unacceptable. JMO.
I wonder if the Government and Helco are in bed together? I bet some free market competition would really bring the price down...
“Setting a good example is a far better way to spread ideals than through force of arms.”
-Ron Paul
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"in bed" makes it sound sleazy; the correct term is "regulatory capture":
Regulatory capture occurs when a state regulatory agency, created to act in the public interest, instead advances the commercial or special interests that dominate the industry or sector it is charged with regulating. Regulatory capture is a form of government failure, as it can act as an encouragement for large firms to produce negative externalities. The agencies are called "captured agencies".
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_Capture
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quote:
Originally posted by pahoated
This is the line in the sand. No more rate increases and no more perpetuation of diesel burning electric plants no matter what the cost. Getting as many people to attend and hold signs with NO RATE HIKE and NO AKP, even without testimony will get the message across. After this battle is won, then it is a march to start driving down rates and divest HEI of sole energy supplier status.
One of the small victories of this grass roots effort is rate pricing details are starting to be revealed. It was a blowaway to find Ormat is selling geothermal power, with a profit, to HEI for 10 cents per kilowatt-hour and HEI is re-selling it to their customers for 42 cents per kilowatt-hour. Then, remember, it is the PUC that is allowing that, and the PUC works for all of us, so it must be all of us that is allowing this?
Hit the nail on the head, again. Exactly. The rates being exposed is a very good thing. The PUC is also held to the State laws, (not defending the PUC by any means, just saying) and therein lies the problem. Next session should be interesting, and we all need to submit testimony to change the existing laws that are allowing this monopoly. Competition is indeed healthy!
What ever happened to Ambercrombie's idea to abolish the PUC, huh?
(rolling my eyes...sorry)
Kauai Electric may have it's problems, but a true public owned utility company is what we need here.
Forgot the movie, (I think it was Network or something. Part timers setting in.[:I]) "We are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!"
