SDG&E; Highest in Nation for Electricity Rate to Industries
San Diego Gas & Electric charges the highest electricity rates for industrial customers, followed by five utilities in the Northeast, according to the results of a nationwide survey released Sunday.
Three New York utilities were among the 10 most expensive, said the survey of industrial rates of 146 utilities by Energy User News, but a fourth New York utility--one run by the state--charged among the cheapest rates.
As of December, it said, San Diego Gas & Electric charged industrial customers 12.6 cents per kilowatt hour. It was followed by New York’s Consolidated Edison, at 11.6 cents per kilowatt hour; Connecticut’s United Illuminating, 9.3 cents; and Jersey Central Power & Light, in New Jersey, 8.6 cents.
Next highest were Eastern Edison, of Massachusetts, 8.5 cents; Long Island Lighting Co., of New York, 8.5 cents; Hawaiian Electric, 8.2 cents; and three at about 8 cents per kilowatt hour--Southern California Edison, Central Hudson Gas & Electric of New York and Boston Edison of Massachusetts.
Utilities with the cheapest industrial rates included the Tacoma, Wash., Dept. of Public Utilities, 1.6 cents; New York State Power Authority, 1.9 cents; Bonneville Power in Washington, 2.1 cents; Idaho Power Co., 2.3 cents, and Seattle City Light, 2.4 cents.
Next were Illinois’ Electric Energy Inc., 2.5 cents; Washington Water Power, 3.1 cents; Puget Sound Power and Light in Washington, 3.1 cents, and Maryland’s Potomac Edison, 3.3 cents.
Generally, utilities with the cheapest rates relied on hydro power, and those with higher rates used more expensive means of electrical production--oil, relatively new nuclear plants or natural gas, said Paul Shaffer, editor of Energy User News, a trade publication for energy-intensive industries.
Industrial rates are lower than commercial or residential rates because industrial users are cheaper to serve, buy large amounts of electricity and often use it during low-peak periods, Shaffer said.
He said the 146 utilities were those surveyed by the U.S. Department of Energy to calculate nationwide price averages.
