State Grant to Fund AMI Installations for Vermont Public Power Utilities

by Peter Maloney
APPA News
February 27, 2023

The Vermont Public Power Supply Authority has won a $5 million grant that will enable it to install advanced metering infrastructure for over 30,000 customers.

The grant comes from a legislative allocation in the 2023 state fiscal year budget.

Last spring the Vermont General Assembly carved out $8 million for the state’s Department of Public Service to distribute as grants to municipal and cooperative electric utilities installing AMI. VPPSA applied for the funds on behalf of its 11 municipal utility members.

VPPSA said the funding will help its member utilities install meters over the next several years with the first installations expected in late 2023. The utilities plan to communicate installation schedules in several ways, and customers should expect direct outreach from their utility prior to meter changeover, VPPSA said.

“AMI will bring new benefits to municipal utilities and the customers we serve,” Stephen Fitzhugh, chair of VPPSA’s board of directors and commissioner of Northfield Electric Department, said in a statement. “We’ll know when power is out before we get a customer call, and the in-depth data will give us the insights we need to develop new, innovate services.”

VPPSA provides municipal electric utility members with a broad spectrum of services and solutions, including wholesale power supply purchasing, regulatory assistance, and financial planning.

VPPSA members include Barton Electric, Village of Enosburg Falls, Hardwick Electric Department, Jacksonville Electric Company, Village of Johnson Water & Light, Ludlow Electric Light Department, Lyndonville Electric Department, Morrisville Water & Light, Northfield Electric Department, Orleans Electric, and Swanton Village.