Local power prices rise again
By Medicine Hat News on April 3, 2021.
The price of power is rising in Medicine Hat this month for customers not on the fixed rate. Prices published Thursday by the municipal utility department state the rate for power in April will rise to 8.78-cents per kilowatt hour, up from 7.33-cents in March. Natural gas for residential and small to medium commercial use drops to $2.7795 per gigajoule, well below the previous month’s rate of $4.09. Local utility rates determine the default commodity price based on the average default price offered across the province, but the city offers a fixed rate based on average provincial contract rate of 6.8 cents for power for those who sign on to the option for a minimum of six months. Across the province power prices ranged from 8.305-cents from Direct Energy to 9.07-cents from Epcor’s Edmonton customers. The two comparable rates for gas were $2.603 from Direct and $2.956 from Apex Utilities (formerly known as AltaGas). Medicine Hat’s fixed gas rate is $3.50 per gigajoule. 8-7
