UCP scraps electricity price cap, some will see $7 bill increase this month

Manitoba Hydro power lines are photographed just outside Winnipeg, Monday, May 1, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

EDMONTON — Electricity will be more expensive for some Edmontonians in December after the UCP government scrapped a program that capped rates.

Effective Nov. 30, the province got rid of the price cap program for Regulated Rate Option customers.

In 2017, the NDP government capped the kilowatt per hour price at 6.8 cents, meaning Edmontonians would pay the market rate and not more than the capped price.

In December, kWh will cost 7.5 cents. Typical Edmonton homes use an average of 600 kWh, increasing bills by $7.37, or 3.9 per cent, compared to November.

The NDP created the capacity system to bring price stability to Albertans.

Energy Minister Sonya Savage said the UCP decided to scrap it after "overwhelming" feedback from consumers and industry stakeholders.

With files from The Canadian Press