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'The proposed increase is horrifying': Resident upset by Nova Scotia Power's application to hike power rates by 12.1 per cent (Dartmouth-Cole Harbour Weekly News, June 6)

- B from Nova Scotia writes:

Is it time to harness the Bay of Fundy? I think it is past due ... and for Nova Scotia Power to estimate the cost of heating a home in the winter at $170 per month is totally ridiculous and misleading. It is more like $700 plus for two months. Who in the world can afford that?

l BB from Truro writes:

Where does NSP get its estimates for heating? In 2005, with electric heat for a two-bedroom apartment, I paid $190 a month and the cost of hydro has gone up several times since then.

Instead of piping all of the natural gas off to the U.S., why doesn't NSP convert all of their coal and oil burning plants to natural gas?

It would make more sense to do that than to keep using expensive and pollution coal and oil.

We got the shaft when the natural gas came ashore and we are still getting it. NSP is pulling the wool over consumers eyes.

All they want to do is show an increased profit margin to stakeholder every quarter. Those involved don't give a hoot about using cheaper and less polluting sources of energy. The bottom profit line is their main concern at the consumers expense.

l Roger Langille from Halifax writes:

Nova Scotia Power is the same company that wanted to import all its coal, claiming they could use cheap imported coal.

Today's import prices are over $150 a tonne, plus shipping and freight for the same coal that NSP was buying delivered to the power plants from Nova Scotia mines for $80 a tonne on long-term supply contracts.

Of course, they never would have been able to break those contracts and buy the cheap $150 dollar a tonne coal today with out the help of the government.

I hope you all know that not only are they now paying double, after refusing to honour the Nova Scotia coal contracts, but now all Nova Scotia is paying more then double the rates.

What is really strange is that NSP and the N.S. Government refuse to even consider Hydro Power from NFL Hydro, who is one of the lowest cost power producers in the world.