Dive Brief:

• Large energy consumers are urging lawmakers to reject Eversource Energy's plan to sell its New Hampshire power plants, saying the deal would unfairly force them to pay for environmental upgrades.
• The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that most of Eversource's customers buy their power from a third-party, but the deal struck last week would shift costs associated with the Merrimack Station scrubber to all customers.
• The company says it expects the sale to save consumers at least $300 million.

Dive Insight:

Last week Utility Dive reported on Eversource's announcement that it would sell all of its power plants in New Hampshire, meaning customers would no longer be responsible for paying for the continued operation of the plants — and could avoid paying for potentially costly investments to meet environmental standards.

The deal, announced alongside state lawmakers, would also resolve three ongoing dockets at the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, including the recovery of scrubber costs at the utility's Merrimack Station facility.

But the New Hampshire Union Leader reports that in testimony before a senate committee this week, business leaders said costs from the Merrimack scrubber would wind up on their energy bills despite buying power from other suppliers. Hendrix Wire and Cable testified that costs could rise from $1 million to $1.3 million per year if the deal goes through.

“Our business has other manufacturing locations around the U.S., and they are in a much more friendly environment for taxes, power and labor,” Hendrix Plant Engineer Kevin Boette said.