Letter: Large energy projects unduly burden ratepayers

Residents of Dubois County deserve to understand how large energy projects can affect their electric bills.

While solar fields and battery storage systems are often promoted as “clean energy” (when the sun is not shining, coal-fired power plants will charge the batteries), what is rarely discussed is who actually pays for them. These facilities require expensive new substations, transmission lines, interconnections, safety systems, and long-term maintenance. In regulated utility systems, those costs are typically recovered through utility rates paid by customers.

In simple terms, when utilities build large new energy projects, monthly electric bills often go up. Families, farmers, and small businesses may be asked to pay more for infrastructure that offers them little direct benefit.

Battery storage systems are among the most expensive forms of new energy infrastructure. Initially, subsidized by your tax dollars, utilities are then allowed to place these projects into their regulated rate base, and they earn a guaranteed return, while customers carry the financial risk for decades.

Before more of these projects move forward, the public deserves clear answers. How much will rates increase? Who pays for grid upgrades and new substations? What happens if equipment fails early and must be replaced? Who carries the risk for any safety issues?

This is not an anti-renewable position. It is a pro-consumer and pro-transparency position. If new energy projects will raise utility bills, the community deserves honest information before decisions are made.

Sincerely,
John Kaltenbacher
Holland