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Frank A. Douglass Insurance Agency

L’Anse municipal utility earns respect of its peers

The relationship between the Village of L’Anse and its electric power supplier remains strong. At last night’s council meeting, WPPI senior vice-president Tom Paque said the co-op seems to have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic.

I mean, there was a lot of concern. How much load are we going to lose? Are customers going to pay their bills? What’s going to happen to market prices? But, we were able to manage it.

WPPI’s diversified electrical production sources also helped them avoid the price spikes other areas of the country saw during last February’s cold snap.

They’re a joint action agency that’s our size, who spent as much on power in one week as we do in a year. Because they were exposed to that high of market prices.

The co-op has a large solar array that will be added to the mix within the next few weeks. Paque said L’Anse stands out among the 51 municipalities it serves.

L’Anse impresses a lot of us with the things you take on and the things you get done, with the thin staff. The people that you have here are good.

Notably, the pilot program in which two WPPI employees are permanently assigned to serve the electrical utilities in L’Anse and Baraga has been successful. Paque indicated that some of the co-op’s other members are investigating similar arrangements. Both the L’Anse and Baraga municipal electrical utilities purchase power from WPPI, at a cost significantly lower than other providers in the region.

In other action, the council authorized payment for the recent culvert replacement on Hornet Way near the school, and thanked MD Contracting for its good work.

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