Delaware Electric Cooperative is proposing a 6.9 percent rate increase for its members in Kent and Sussex counties.
Members of the cooperative have the right to comment at an upcoming May 21 board meeting. Notice of the board meeting is posted at the cooperative’s website: Copies are also available at the office of the Cooperative from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until the time of the meeting.
The proposed June 1st increase of 6.92 percent for summer rates will add $8.40 to a residential member using 1,000 kWh per month.
The cooperative cited added costs from its supplier, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative as the reason for the rate increase request.
The cooperative and others in the Old Dominion system are seeing growth in their service areas as stricter environmental standards lead to the shutdowns of coal-fired plants that offer power, often at lower rates. That growth can lead to purchases of higher priced power during peak usage periods
The growth led to decision to build a new natural gas-fired power plant west of the Delaware State line in Cecil County, Md.
Delaware Electric, based in the Sussex County community of Greenwood, typically serves unincorporated areas in central and southern Delaware, with other areas served by Delmarva Power and municipal systems at higher rates than the cooperative.
