Time needed before Westminster relief from power costs

A consultant for Westminster preached patience during a presentation and said time will be needed before conservation measures bring down the city’s electric power costs.  Ted Orrel’s audience last night included the mayor and council, but also several citizens concerned about the economic impact on both the city and its retail customers.  Part of the solution recommended by Orrel’s UTEC company is a re-structuring of the city’s retail rates.  One of the ways to relief, Orrel says, is the city’s Good Neighbor conservation program that designed to drive down demand.  But not enough customers have agreed to enroll in the program.  By regulating power use Westminster can lower the cost of its wholesale power supply from PMPA—Piedmont Municipal Power Agency.  The consultant explained the charge formulas that the wholesale consortium applies to the individual 10-city members.  PMPA draws its electricity from a Duke Energy nuclear power unit.  Though nuclear power is considered a cheap form of electricity, Orrel explained, a city such as Westminster is at a disadvantage because it has lost both residential and commercial customers while some PMPA cities have gained customers..