Higher Energy Costs on the Way for the U.P.

It’s going to cost more for electricity in the Upper Peninsula.
A decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to exempt Wisconsin customers from having to pay to keep Marquette’s Presque Isle Power Plant open means that every electric customer in the U.P. will have to foot the entire bill. The Mid Continent ric to keep Presque Isle open because they fear that without it, the U.P. could go dark. Dan Dasho, President and CEO for Cloverland Electric Cooperative in Dafter, says it’s unclear how much more customers will have to pay on their electric bill, but he says the cost to U.P. utilities could be as high as 52-million dollars a year. And everyone will have to pay, even if they don’t get power directly from Presque Isle. He says an answer could come within the next couple of weeks on how much more U.P. utilities will have to pay, and then those costs will likely be passed on to customers. Dasho also says the Presque Isle plant will need millions of dollars in upgrades to meet new EPA pollution standards in 2017. Independent System Operators is forcing Wisconsin Elect