Okay, @NB_Power, I don’t hate you. I hate what they’ve made you do.

A thread.

#nbpoli #renewables #thisisbroken

I heard the news today that NB Power (NBP) intends to keep burning dirty fuels like coal and gas until 2041. My blood boiled (coincidentally, like the Artic Ocean) and I raged on social media. But my rage was misdirected.

As I do, I dug a little deeper, made some calls, powered thru some legislation. In essence, NBPs 20-year IRP (Integrated Resource Plan) perfectly fits the framework they’ve been provided. That might sound surprising.

It’s not the IRP that’s at fault, it’s the framework. The culprit? Two things:

1. Electricity Act
2. Lowest Cost Directive

Combined, they forced NBPs into writing a terrible IRP that’s out of touch with environmental reality. What is responsible for the culprits? Politics.

About the Electricity Act: It’s out of date and out of touch but sets in law anything NBP is allowed to do re: electricity generation. And it sets the rates. It’s prescriptive, not permissive, and severely limits NBP’s possibilities.

Greenhouse Gases (GHG) are not a consideration in the Electricity Act. Literally, NBP cannot justify any of their actions using GHGs as a measure. It’s against the law. Cost is the primary measure, which the EUB regulates.

Speaking of which, the Lowest Cost Directive says that NBP cannot raise rates above 2% per year. They also need to pay down their debt to an 80/20 ratio by 2027.

This is an impossible scenario. NBP knows the environment is a priority + requires an angry table flip to achieve it. But any spare $ goes to debt and rate increases barely cover inflation. Then, the EUB smothers innovation.
Status quo in baked into the recipe.

Basically, coal + carbon tax is still the cheapest short term financial option. So we get coal. Buying natural gas-fired Bayside Power is cheaper than solar or wind, so we get natural gas to burn less coal.

What these cost the environment later? It’s illegal to care so we don’t care. What will pollution cost our health? It’s outside Electricity Act and EUB’s purview so we look the other way.

What kind of system is this? The eye of the needle is so narrow that I’m no longer surprised that the IRP is what it is. Given the chance, I’m sure NBP and their employees would love to be more innovative.

In fact, they’ve tried. NBP had to take two kicks at the can to get smart meters across the goal line. They proposed spending $1M on a solar panel rental program but were turned down because the ROI was too far out.

They wanted to invest in more energy efficiency upgrades of your house to reduce demand but were turned down by the EUB again. It’s an impossible position.

I’m sorry @NB_Power for yelling at you. I didn’t see the scars from your handcuffs. I had no idea how tortured you were. Our politicians are to blame for this terrible IRP. They’re also the gate keepers to the solution.

If you care about our environment and want NBP to be a pack-leading innovator, aim your complaints at your MLA. Yell loudly to throw out this IRP in favour of planet saving options. Change the Electricity Act.

Allow stable, predictable rate increases that allow us to invest in our future rather than the status quo. Tell NBPs executive to push harder and faster.

Here’s how to contact your MLA: https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/contacts/MLAReport.html

Here’s how to contact NBP execs: https://www.nbpower.com/en/contact-us 

Fin.