To Co-op Currents: As a 30 year industrial and commercial IBEW journeyman electrician, I recently became aware of a dangerous situation with trees that had fallen and brought powerlines into the street. Trees had been coming down in this specific spot on a semi regular basis, nearly hitting a moving vehicle and regularly bringing down powerlines into the street. When …
Rights-of-way 101: Responsibilities and Practices
What is a right-of-way? A right-of-way is a type of easement that gives utilities the right to access private land in order to maintain shared infrastructure, such as poles and wires. Most of WEC’s power lines are distribution lines, which have a 20-foot right-of-way on either side of the line. Transmission lines have a 100-foot right-of-way. Rights-of-way exist so utilities …
Brief Updates – July 2022
Fall Membership Gathering Join WEC for an in-person membership gathering and cookout lunch on Saturday, September 10, 2022 from 11 AM – 3 PM at the WEC Operations Center, 230 Fassett Road in East Montpelier.Lunch is free and available by reservation only. Click here to RSVP. Open House at Coventry Landfill Join WEC and Casella Waste Systems for the first …
Brief Updates – June 2022
Final Phase of Rate Design Effective July 1 On July 1, the final phase of WEC’s rate redesign takes effect: The residential monthly customer charge will rise to $26.49 The residential charge per kilowatt hour will drop to $0.21149 Members will continue to purchase the first 100 kilowatt hours each month at the reduced rate of $0.08476. This is not …
WEC Welcomes New Leadership, Looks Ahead to Grid Updates
Seasonal right-of-way clearing underway to support reliability, broadband rollout, and advanced metering infrastructure Election results; welcome new Directors Steve: We had an unusual number of candidates running for election in 2022, so that’s a good sign that people are interested in serving their community and spending time on the Board. Something else that’s unusual, in my experience, is we had …
WEC overcomes tree crew labor shortage, works to catch up on Right-of-Way clearing before winter
Larry Gilbert, Right of Way Manager Over 2021, WEC’s operations department felt pinches in the supply chain and labor market just like most other industries. But in an essential industry—distributing electric power—in a rural service area, with storm season upon us, those pinches can have real effects. WEC contracts with several tree crews to help manage vegetation growth in its …