Does anyone know how much time this renegotiation and appeal process could take? I see the city of Berlin has come up with expert testimony on the economic benefits to the city of Berlin and local employment that this project could have. I just wonder if the State PUC will be more concerned about Berlin and less concerned about the State expert's opinion about the impact this project can have on the state's economy and the smaller biomass facilities. I'm hearing the rest of the state is getting a little jealous over all the attention Berlin is getting when the entire state is suffering in a down economy. Berlin rarely sees this type of attention as central and southern NH have far more voting power than the measly 30,000 population of Coos County.
I do agree that this is heading in a direction where all parties are benefiting far more than when this all started. PPA's for everyone, anyone? Renegotiation of the impact to the rate payer, all the safeguards known to man negotiated with the city of Berlin. I'd say we're almost there provided there isn't a shafting to the rate payer or the local biomass facilities. We have all the protection clauses known to man built in to the PPA to prevent future liqidated forests from being the norm, etc. Now we need the hydro Quebec project to undergo some legislative change to become a renewable energy project and a few other things to happen and we've got it made, don't we? I suppose with legislative change to Hydro Quebec's 1200 MW project, however, all else would pale by comparison.
PSNH could make this a lot easier by negotiating PPA's with the existing biomass companies rather than openly trying to trigger a monopoly and a tax infrastructure nightmare in NH sister towns of Berlin by closing these facilities. Or maybe a PUC denial is an easy way for PSNH not to worry about any law suit challenges by Laidlaw and move on to bigger and better things with Quebec letting the state sweat out their 2025 plan until they finally agree to credit Hydro Quebec as renewable. That again could slow the entire process. The taste of PSNH greed beginning to get too bitter and needs some sugar I think. Trouble is it'll take a long time to melt.
