“We probably need to do this”–Westminster’s Chris Carter

A vote taken tonight by Westminster City Council could be a sign that the city will eventually free itself of its long-running PMPA wholesale power arrangement. In a 7-0 vote, the council served notice that it will withdraw in 10 years from a supplemental power purchase from the consortium of Upstate cities. As explained by Administrator Chris Carter, the city’s voting member of the PMPA board, if the vote were not taken by December 31 of this year, Westminster would have had to wait another year to re-consider. Westminster can draw as much as 30% of its electric power needs from the supplemental arrangement. The remaining 70% is provided by a separate contract—which commits the city until 2035. The council acted after hearing Carter say that the two largest PMPA users—Greer and Rock Hill—have already taken similar supplemental contract votes. Carter quoted a Greer representative as saying his city senses that the power sales market will dramatically change by 2028 and his city wants to be in position to strike a better deal elsewhere. Westminster Councilman Yousef Mefleh hailed the decision and predicted it will be met with favor by Westminster residents who’ve long complained about the cost of their retail bills.