Having spent a career evaluating and making decisions concerning power supply options to meet the needs of Maine consumers, I am compelled to respond to the most recent news story (BDN, June 1) and editorial (BDN, June 2) on the plans to dismantle existing hydro dams and to forgo potential new hydro expansions on the Penobscot River, the combination of which will substantially increase our already exorbitant electricity supply costs.

The plan is to pay the current owner of the dams, PPL Corp., $25 million and to spend another $25 million to dismantle the dams, all funded mostly with our own taxpayer dollars. It will also eliminate the potential to develop the Basin Mills Project in Orono and to increase the capacity of Veazie Hydro.

Although the current owner gets support for modest expansions and license extensions at various other dams along the Penobscot River, the net result is not just a modest loss of 4 percent of the current hydro output as reported. Rather it is the loss of current production at Veazie, Great Works and Howland (about 100 million kilowatt-hours annually) plus the loss of potential new generation at Veazie and Basin Mills (another 210 million kwh annually). That’s nearly the entire electric supply requirement of Bangor Hydro’s residential consumers and about 75 percent of the existing production of about 400 million kwh.

In terms of higher electricity costs, at current power supply costs of about 8 cents per kwh, this so-called good deal for Maine will only cost $50 million initially and $25 million annually or $1.6 billion over the expected life of the projects. That’s $16,000 for each of the customers in Bangor Hydro’s service area.

I believe the intended environmental benefits touted can be achieved with a plan that allows the hydro benefits to continue and increase.

I tend to doubt the average Mainer can afford the plan as presented.

Carroll R. Lee

Brewer