If you’ve opened your electric bill recently, you’ve probably felt the same thing I
have—frustration. Granite Staters are paying some of the highest electricity rates in the country, and it’s getting worse. Eversource just announced a hike in their default supply rate, pushing it up from 8.9 cents to 11.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. This rate pays for the actual electricity we all use. Other utilities and suppliers also are experiencing similar increases, because these rates are based on regional energy market costs. And to make matters worse, the fixed monthly customer charge is also increasing by 43%, from about $13.81 to nearly $20 a month. That’s before you even turn on the lights.
Another significant portion of your electric bill goes toward transmission costs—the price of transporting electricity from out-of-state power plants over high-voltage lines into New
Hampshire. Our state relies heavily on the ISO-New England wholesale market, which means we buy most of our power from generators located in other states, and we pay a premium. When we import energy, we pay more.
So why don’t we produce more of our own power right here in New Hampshire?
Nearly three decades ago there was a plan to “deregulate” the utilities, this was supposed to reduce costs and increase competition. But it hasn’t worked out that way.
In 1996, New Hampshire became one of the first states in the country to “deregulate” electricity.
Lawmakers passed a bill that required utilities to sell off their power plants and stop generating electricity themselves. The goal was to create a competitive marketplace for energy. Private companies would build power plants, compete to generate electricity and generate lower prices for consumers through free-market competition.
It was a great idea, but that competition never materialized the way people hoped.
Very few new power plants were built in New Hampshire after deregulation. The market became increasingly centralized and dependent on natural gas. Meanwhile, our local utilities were left unable to invest in generation even if they wanted to. As a result, New Hampshire now relies heavily on the regional market—and we pay the price for that dependency in every bill.
The laws passed in 1996 were written for a different time. It’s 2025, and New Hampshire’s
energy needs—and our energy technologies—have changed significantly. It’s time our laws
caught up.
I’m working on legislation to modernize our state’s energy laws and allow for more in-state
production, and allow utilities to invites in power generation. That includes exploring all
available sources—natural gas, hydro, biomass, solar, and yes, nuclear, including micro-nuclear and small modular nuclear reactors.
New nuclear technology is safer, smaller, and more efficient than ever before. These new
systems can be built faster, run continuously, and provide a stable, clean source of power without the massive footprint of traditional nuclear plants. If we want to break our dependence on out-of-state power, we need to be willing to consider these types of projects.
That also means giving our utilities the ability to enter into long-term power contracts with in-state power generators to create more price stability.
We must take control of our energy future by encouraging new power generation and innovation here at home. It’s time to bring more energy production back to New Hampshire—and I intend to lead that effort.
Sen. Kevin Avard (R-Nashua), represents District 12, including the towns of Brookline, Greenville, Hollis, Mason, New Ipswich, Rindge, and parts of Nashua. He currently serves as chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.