Norwich ratepayer representative praises CMEC's cost and transparency; flags legal and cybersecurity work

David Eggleston, Norwich's ratepayer representative to the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (CMEC), reported to the council on Feb. 3 that CMEC continues to provide Norwich Public Utilities with wholesale power at a materially lower cost than regional alternatives and operates with board-level transparency.

Eggleston said CMEC's wholesale purchases and project oversight keep Norwich's costs lower than the regional investor-owned utility benchmark; he estimated CMEC's wholesale cost was roughly 35'40% below that benchmark in the most recent period. He also described a negotiated outcome on the cooperative's solar-plus-battery project that he said translates to roughly $1 million in annual savings compared with earlier performance expectations.

He told the council CMEC received a clean external audit opinion and a positive credit assessment from Fitch. Eggleston said the cooperative continues to address the aftermath of a criminal prosecution affecting former directors and is pursuing recovery of legal-defense expenses through insurance processes; he characterized the cooperative as a net victim in that matter and said it had not affected day-to-day operations.

Eggleston also said CMEC has recently reviewed its cybersecurity posture versus an international standard and adjusted insurance coverage accordingly. He described active committee work, routine materials distribution and frequent committee-level review of projects such as the solar garden and microgrid assets.

Council members thanked Eggleston for his service and asked questions about tariff and trade risks; Eggleston characterized those risks as "too early to tell" but said CMEC's planning and conservative financial metrics aim to mitigate volatility.

The report did not request council action; Eggleston encouraged continued oversight and said he will report back as issues develop.