Anastasia Payne Halifax, News, Nova Scotia 0

On Tuesday, NSP announced it would delay the application to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board until 2023.

Premier Tim Houston pumped the brakes  Wednesday when he announced his government would introduce legislation that would block NSP from introducing the proposed charge for net-metering solar customers.

“We agree that it is time for changes to the enhanced net-metering program but the changes we seek will support the greening of the grid, not discourage it,” Houston said in a news release.

Less than 24 hours after Houston’s announcement, NSP President and CEO, Peter Gregg, walked back even further, issuing a statement saying the power company wouldn’t proceed with the application at all.

“It is clear to us that the complexity of the Solar Net Metering issue means the right decision is to withdraw our application for the System Access Charge and we will immediately take the necessary steps to do so,” he said.

NSP and the approximately 2000 people it employs support the greening of the grid and the provincial commitment to get off coal by 2030, Gregg said in his statement.

Regular customers are subsidizing solar users and that’s why they applied  to charge them, according to Gregg.

A typical 10 kW solar system generates $1,760 of electricity per year; Nova Scotia Power’s proposal would have seen net-metering solar users paying the power company $960 per year to access the grid, according to estimations by the not-for-profit society, Solar NS.

NSP wants to support the switch to renewables to achieve climate goals, Gregg said, while also ensuring fairness for all Nova Scotia Power Customers.

Anastasia Payne is a reporter with CKBW in Bridgewater, a Huddle content partner.

New Brunswick, News, Saint John

Fredericton, Halifax, Moncton, New Brunswick, News, Nova Scotia, Saint John

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