Consumer Advocate Dennis Browne is asking the PUB to reconsider its decision to provide Newfoundland Power with $1.5 million of ratepayers’ money on an Electric Vehicle Load Management pilot.

Browne says ratepayers are already paying Newfoundland Power $1.9 million for a complete load study on electricity needs, including what may be required for electric vehicles. He says no new load study expenditures should be incurred until the current load study project has been completed.

Browne says the province’s ratepayers should not be required to pay the $1.5 million in costs for a study of 800 electric vehicle owners—representing 0.2 per cent of the light-duty vehicles in the province. He believes that imposing those costs on all ratepayers is contrary to basic regulatory principles.