Article contentArsenault said one of his more immediate priorities is the establishment of a consumer advocate office, which he said would likely report to the minister of justice. But he said it could be up to six months before a plan is in place for that office.Article content Energy Minister Gilles Arsenault says it is his priority to establish a consumer advocate office to represent rate payers at electricity regulatory hearings. Photo by Stu Neatby /The GuardianArticle contentBevan-Baker said an independent energy operator could oversee Maritime Electric to ensure the province’s energy needs are met. More than 19,000 Summerside electric customers were affected last winter after that utility faced difficulties in accessing power it purchased from New Brunswick because of a failed Maritime Electric substation.Article contentMaritime Electric controls the infrastructure that allows Summerside Electric to access power from New Brunswick.Article content“As long as they have control of what comes on to the transmission system, they can prevent larger producers from getting access to that, whether it’s the transmission lines or the distribution lines. And they’re doing that very successfully at the moment,” Bevan-Baker said of Maritime Electric.Article contentArticle content“But if we were to change the regulation where ME was mandated to accept power from accredited producers of up to a megawatt, then those folks would have access to the transmission system.”Article contentPower generationArticle contentBevan-Baker has been critical of a Maritime Electric plan to purchase two fossil fuel-powered generators to protect against capacity shortfalls during times of high demand on the province’s grid. The estimated cost of the project is $334 million, which the utility has said would increase customer rates in the short term.Article contentBy contrast, Bevan-Baker said most utilities are increasingly bringing on solar and wind power, with additional battery system capacity.Article content“People are moving away from these large, single combustion – whether that’s oil, gas, diesel, nuclear – those large centralized production systems to produce our electricity to a more distributed and diversified system,” Bevan-Baker said.Article contentArticle contentBevan-Baker said the cost of solar power has dropped considerably in recent years, while the cost of battery storage has also decreased.Article contentIn its regulatory filings, Maritime Electric has argued in favour of the two diesel generators, stating there is an “urgent need” for on-island generating capacity. The utility has warned that consumer power demands in 2025 have already eclipsed, on multiple occasions, the demand seen during a polar vortex weather event in 2023.Article content“Without additional generating capacity, it will become increasingly difficult to supply customer loads during system peak periods, exposing customers to health, safety, economic and security of supply risks,” read an April 2025 letter from Maritime Electric.Article contentArticle contentStay informed: Don’t miss the news you need to know. Sign up for our newsletter today.Article contentArticle contentStu Neatby is a political reporter for The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached at sneatby@postmedia.com and followed on X @stu_neatby.Article content
P.E.I. MLA says independent office could help break up Maritime Electric monopoly
