New Hampshire Electric Cooperative history

By 1940 the electric-trolley activity, once a major part of PSNH operations, had become unprofitable and the company switched to operating buses.

As a result, in 1942, America’s electric cooperatives formed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to provide a unified voice for cooperatives and to represent their interests in Washington, DC.

After its founding and up to December 1943, PSNH acquired the franchises and utility properties of 25 other electric and/or gas companies in New Hampshire.

From 1945-51, the demand for power more than doubled and obliged PSNH to add new generating facilities.

In 1948 the company replaced the Jacona with another floating power plant, the Resistance, which had been built and used by the government in World War II. After extensive repairs, the Resistance generated 30,000 KWs of electricity, thereby merely replacing the Jacona.

1954: PSNH sells the bus lines that grew out of its electric trolley businesses.

Maine still had an undeveloped amount of power, but a 1955 law forbade exportation of power to other states.

At year-end 1966, electricity was used to heat 19,276 homes and 1,309 establishments.

By 1968 the company was adding new electrical companies and withdrawing its involvement in fields other than electricity.

By 1973, PSNH had retired 41 of its hydroelectric plants.

After repeated appeals and re-hearings PSNH received its construction permit in July 1976--and experienced its first protest at the planned site.

In 1978 the company had been authorized to charge customers for the carrying costs on the money it was borrowing to build the Seabrook plant.

The output of the turbines was disappointing, mainly because winds at the site were less powerful than expected, so the turbines were taken down and sold in 1988. It bought power from the Tug Mountain Wind Farm in 1984, with ten turbines of 60 kilowatts each.

In May 1986 PSNH asked the NHPUC for a two-step rate increase; however, the agency ruled against the request.

On January 26, 1988, the court ruled that the Anti-CWIP statute was constitutional and prevented PSNH from receiving the emergency rate increase.

Connnecticut-based Northeast Utilities (NU), one of the six major bidders, announced its plan in January 1989 and PSNH endorsed it in December of the same year.

The first 5.5 percent base-rate increase went into effect January 1990.

On May 16, 1991, PSNH completed step one of the NU plan, thereby ending its 39-month bankruptcy.

Step two was completed June 5, 1992 and PSNH became a fully owned subsidiary of Northeast Utilities.

In 1993, PSNH received the Governor's Volunteerism Award.

From 1994 onward, PSNH collaborated with the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development to increase jobs and commerce opportunities.

In 1995 PSNH retrofitted its coal-fired Merrimack Station's 320-megawatt Unit 2 in Bow with an emissions-cleansing Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system, thereby becoming the first power plant in the United States to use that technology.

The subsequent law, effective May 21, 1996, directed the NHPUC to develop a statewide plan for restructuring electric utilities.

However--because upcoming deregulation might oblige PSNH to sell some of its facilities--in April 2003 the company opted to leave the sheep in their winter home.

Pending approval by the FERC, NHPUC and passage of enabling legislation by the N.H. Legislature, the sale was to be effective January 1, 2004.

A special fund was set up just for this purpose in 2007, and it has been run since.