Happy Friday!

Below are some highlights from the past week:

• COP21 and Kemper: COP21 was recently hosted in Paris, France and issues such as carbon capture and offshore wind turbines were discussed by dozens of world leaders. In Mississippi, a well-known plant is working to showcase how carbon capture technology can actually turn discussions into actions — the Kemper Project. We have shared a lot with you regarding the technology and motivations behind Southern Company’s and Mississippi Power’s Kemper, but COP21 really puts the importance of the plant into perspective. A New York Times article, A Path for Climate Change, Beyond Paris, discusses that although the need for carbon capture is more apparent than ever, few governments have put little effort into developing it. Third Way Energy thought it was important for us to know this and other highlights, by tagging us in a tweet, and we think it’s even more important for our followers to be made aware of!
• On 3 December, the Mississippi Public Service Commission approved an agreement that will lower bills and provide an additional credit to Mississippi Power customers. The decision comes after an agreement was reached last month between Mississippi Power and the Public Utilities Staff regarding permanent rates associated with parts of Kemper that are currently in operation and have been serving Mississippi Power customers for more than a year. The vote by the PSC finalized that agreement. As part of the agreement:
  • Kemper rates will be reduced for residential customers by approximately $4.70 below the current interim rate increase for a residential customer using 1,000 kWh a month. This will be applied to bills beginning with the first billing cycle in January
  • Mississippi Power will credit back to customers the difference between the interim rates collected since August and the permanent rates in the agreement. This will result in an approximate average $22 one-time credit to residential customers’ bills within 90 days.