Submit a Public Comment in Eastern Kentucky Power
Cooperative's Integrated Resource Plan!
Eastern Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC), which generates and transmits electricity for its 16 member rural electric co-ops across the state, just submitted its resource plan for the next 15 years to the Public Service Commission. The plan ignores the need to help people lower their bills, make our homes and businesses more energy efficient, and transition to clean, renewable energy. If your co-op is a member of EKPC, this will be your cooperative’s plan for the next 15 years.
What is an IRP and why should you care
An Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) process is a chance for our utilities to show the Public Service Commission that they are planning adequately for our future energy needs. Utilities must submit these plans every 3 years. The public has an opportunity to weigh in on these plans through providing public comments.
This is your opportunity to help shape this plan! If the PSC doesn’t hear from you, they will only hear from EKPC. Submit your public comment using the form below before December 15th.
What is an IRP and why should you care
An Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) process is a chance for our utilities to show the Public Service Commission that they are planning adequately for our future energy needs. Utilities must submit these plans every 3 years. The public has an opportunity to weigh in on these plans through providing public comments.
This is your opportunity to help shape this plan! If the PSC doesn’t hear from you, they will only hear from EKPC. Submit your public comment using the form below before December 15th.
Two Ways to Comment:
- Sign up for an oral comment: 9am on 12/13 (can be in person or virtual).
- To sign up for a virtual comment email psc.meeting@ky.gov and include case #2022-00098 , your name, phone number, and address.
- To give an in-person comment, arrive at the PSC office 30 minutes prior to the start of the hearing.
- To sign up for a virtual comment email psc.meeting@ky.gov and include case #2022-00098 , your name, phone number, and address.
- Submit a written comment using the form below! Comments should be submitted no later than December 15th.
Don't overthink it. Your comment can be simple
See more extensive sample talking points below if you want to include more specifics.
Ready to submit?
Sample Talking PointsEKPC is ignoring reality – despite the fact that costs are rising, technology is changing and we are now regularly faced with extreme weather events.
As a rural electric cooperative, EKPC says it is driven by the mission “to serve its member- owned cooperatives by safely delivering reliable, affordable and sustainable energy and related services.” As such, EKPC should be true to this mission in everything it does – or it shouldn’t say it! This mission is in line with what Kentuckians know we need for our electric sector and what this moment calls for; it means lowering customer bills and energy demand through the strongest energy efficiency programs possible, increasing grid resiliency, improved reliability through such technologies as battery storage and creating microgrids, setting and achieving detailed, actionable sustainability goals, and overcoming hurdles to participation in community efficiency and solar programs. Instead, what we see in this plan is a continued commitment to business as usual. For an investor-owned utility behaving this way (while not smart), might be logical, what is EKPC’s excuse? Now is the time to do the work of putting a strong transition plan in place instead of waiting 3,6,9 years down the road when costs have escalated and reliability has deteriorated. What to consider saying in your comment:
EKPC should help me save money – but does it?
Energy efficiency just makes good sense. By both helping people lower their bills and reduce the need for future energy demand it is a win-win for cooperatives and their members. But EKPC’s IRP sets efficiency goals that are well under what their own studies say are feasible. Again, why? What to consider saying in your comment:
Is EKPC really doing enough to provide you with the lowest cost electricity?
EKPC, as a cooperative, should be committed to providing the lowest cost option to their customers. However, their plan fails to demonstrate that they have developed the least cost plan. Instead of studying the cost-benefits of retiring their coal aging coal plants or looking into buying lower cost electricity from their regional transmission organization, PJM, they just pretend like there aren't any other options to consider. EKPC should take the time to study the options before locking customers into potentially higher priced options. They should also maximize opportunities for energy savings that lower the need to produce high-priced peak demand electricity through energy efficiency. What to consider saying in your comment:
EKPC says it’s committed to providing reliable electricity to you. Its current plan won’t deliver this.
EKPC has done very little to show that their plans for the next 15 years actually deliver the most reliable electricity to its members. They have not studied the continued reliability of their aging coal-fired power plants, they have not modeled that their plan is reliable in the face of increased extreme weather, they have not fully implemented how expanded energy efficiency increases reliability by reducing the likelihood of outages at peak times, and they have failed to evaluate battery storage. How can they claim that they have chosen a path forward that is reliable when they have done nothing more than assume that systems that were once reliable 15 years ago will stay that way indefinitely? What to consider saying in your comment:
EKPC should recognize the value of community and rooftop solar and plan for more!
EKPC should be planning for more community and customer-owned rooftop solar and building out their existing solar farm program that is currently underperforming. Rooftop solar provides significant benefits to customers by increasing resiliency and lowering electricity bills and, with new incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act, it is reasonable to assume there will be more rooftop solar installations in the next 10-15 years. Further, rooftop solar can provide key benefits to the utility as well by reducing peak demand and increasing the reliability and resiliency of the grid. EKPC should consider this in their plan. EKPC has a solar farm that is supposed to help people who either can’t afford to install solar on their roofs or who’s homes do not have good access to solar. However, the program is not designed in a way that makes it accessible to low income folks or people who don’t have access to upfront cash to pay the lease. There are better models that can be used to make this program more accessible and help people access the full benefits of community solar. What to consider saying in your comment:
EKPC should take advantage of tax incentives and credits to lower the cost of electricity to its customers.
Since the EKPC Integrated Resource Plan was developed the entire landscape has been changed by the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. The assumptions and planning scenarios that were used to develop the plan are no longer the best assumptions. As such, EKPC should re-run their analysis instead of waiting three years and missing key opportunities that the IRA will provide. What to consider saying in your comment:
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