February 28, 2013

Vermont Electric Cooperative will host its 75^th Annual Meeting of the Membership on May 18, 2013, at Smugglers Notch Resort.  An important component of the annual meeting is to give members an opportunity to exercise their voice as member/owners, which is demonstrated in the election of new directors for expiring positions on our Board of Directors. As a cooperative, members democratically elect local representatives to serve on the board. These directors participate in setting policies and making decisions, and are expected to represent the interests of these members.

For Release: December 28, 2012

Vermont Electric Cooperative’s board of directors passed a resolution this afternoon recommending that the Vermont Legislature impose a moratorium for a period of up to two years on further renewable power supply mandates. Discussing concerns about impacts on costs and reliability, the VEC board expressed a need to address grid instability along with human health impacts as Vermont moves to adopt higher levels of renewable resources.

VEC further recommended that a statewide panel  be formed, representing all stakeholders – including utility customers- to be involved in developing a renewable energy transition plan addressing these issues.

Seven directors voted in favor of the resolution, with one opposing and one abstaining. Three directors were absent. Several VEC members (customers) from the Northeast Kingdom were present and spoke against further industrial wind development.

For Immediate Release: December 21, 2012, 4:30 PM

Johnson, VT- At 4:30 p.m. about 3,400 Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) members were without power. As predicted, today’s weather brought damaging winds to the VEC service territory causing power outages for approximately 9,000 VEC members. Line crews began restoration efforts early Friday morning and will continue to work throughout the night and into Saturday.

Down sloping winds caused trees to fall on power lines in areas west of both the Green Mountains and New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Most of VEC’s outages occurred in Chittenden, Lamoille, Franklin, Essex and Orleans Counties. 

The Cambridge area was particularly hard-hit when a substation failed due to a downed tree on a power line. From the Hinesburg and Huntington areas to the Northeast Kingdom, hundreds of VEC members experienced power outages at some point during the day.

November 27, 2012

Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) announced that the Co-op will not seek a rate increase in January 2013. Despite rising transmission costs, the Co-op has been able to hold rates steady for the second year in a row. VEC has not had a rate increase since January of 2011 and over the four year period from 2010 to 2013 VEC’s average rate increase will be about 1 percent per year.

VEC reviews electric rates annually to determine whether adjustments are needed to cover costs. “Like most other Vermont and New England utilities, VEC faces challenges with regard to transmission and power supply costs, along with inflationary pressures in other areas,” said Dave Hallquist, CEO. “We have been able to offset rising costs through operational efficiencies and by obtaining favorable power supply contracts.”

VEC has also acted to control rates by restructuring debt to control interest expenses. By obtaining grant funding from the Department of Energy for smart grid deployment, VEC has improved system operational efficiencies. Funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to rebuild power lines in the Northeast Kingdom and disaster relief support from the Federal Emergency Management Administration in the wake of Hurricane Irene also helped to offset rising costs that would have otherwise resulted in higher electric rates. Additionally, a joint ownership agreement of transmission assets from Lowell to Jay has reduced VEC’s costs by sharing them with Green Mountain Power.

October 31, 2012

Johnson, VT- Early Wednesday morning, fourteen Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) line workers traveling in bucket trucks and other utility vehicles headed south to provide mutual aid assistance to utilities hard hit by power outages caused by Superstorm Sandy. Crews initially reported to Green Mountain Power (GMP), but were redeployed to provide assistance to New Hampshire Electric Cooperative and will support utilities in other states as needed in the coming days, and possibly, weeks

Approximately 6,000 VEC members, or customers, experienced power outages which began at 4:00 p.m. on Monday as high winds toppled trees of all sizes onto electric lines. By evening on Tuesday, all of VEC’s storm related outages were restored, yet utilities throughout the eastern United States were just beginning to grapple with the devastation caused by Sandy which left more than 8 million without electricity.

October 30, 2012 5:00 PM

Johnson, VT- Since outages began at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) line crews have restored power to approximately 6,000 members following the high winds that blew through the region by super storm Sandy. 

As dusk approaches, approximately 160 VEC members are without power in the towns of Cambridge, Guildhall, Maidstone, Montgomery, and Underhill.  Early Tuesday afternoon, Cambridge and Underhill areas were impacted by strong wind gusts that developed on the western slopes of the Green Mountains and knocked out power to 125 members.  

October 30, 2012, 5:30 AM

Johnson, VT- Approximately 400 Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) members are without power as day breaks on Tuesday morning following the high winds brought to the region by super storm Sandy.

Since outages began at around 4:00 p.m. on Monday, line crews have restored power to about 4,000 VEC members. As expected, members in higher elevations (above 2,000 feet), on the western slopes of the Green Mountains, and in areas of the Northeast experienced the brunt of Sandy’s high winds.

October 29, 2012, 10:30 PM

Johnson, VT- Approximately 1,450 Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) members are without power as wind gusts caused by hybrid storm Sandy have moved through northern Vermont during the past hour.

As expected, VEC members in higher elevations (above 2,000 feet), on the western slopes of the Green Mountains, and in areas of the Northeast Kingdom are experiencing the brunt of  Sandy’s high winds.

Line crews are in the field assessing damage and making repairs. Outages restoration will take place throughout the night and will continue during the day on Tuesday. As crews are able to provide estimated restoration times, they will be updated on VEC’s outage page at: http://www.vermontelectric.coop/outage 

Johnson, VT- Monday, October 29, 2012

Approximately 1,000 Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) members are without power as wind gusts caused by hybrid storm Sandy move into northern Vermont. The first outage of has affected 43 members in Derby and a second outage caused by a tree on a power line has left 646 VEC members in Coventry, Irasburg, Newport City and Newport Town without power. Line crews are working on restoration for these outages which is expected by 7 PM.

271 members in Hinesburg and 37 in Troy are also without power; estimated restoration time for these outages is 7:30 PM.

VEC has been preparing for days for Sandy’s arrival. The storm is expected to bring winds first; followed by rain. At this point, winds pose more of a concern than rain. In northern Vermont VEC is expecting 40 to 60 mph gusts and expects the period between 6 PM to 10 PM to be the roughest time, although winds will continue through Tuesday.

Johnson, VT- Johnson State College (JSC) and Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) are partnering to sponsor a community-wide blood drive for the American Red Cross from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 25. Johnson State College will host the blood drive in the SHAPE athletic and fitness center.

All presenting donors will be entered in a raffle for a chance to win a $25 restaurant gift certificate to The Hub in downtown Johnson.

Directional signs to Johnson State College’s SHAPE will be posted from downtown Johnson. Walk-ins are welcome, but those with appointments will have priority. To schedule an appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

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