Public Service Department briefs Natural Resources & Energy on Vermont electricity system, rates, and forecasts

TK Gore, director of regulated utility planning at the Vermont Public Service Department, told the Natural Resources & Energy committee that his presentation was intended as background, not a policy proposal. “For the record, I'm TK Gore, the director of regulated utility planning at the Public Service Department,” Gore said at the start of his briefing.

Gore said the department represents “Vermonters” and the public interest on energy, telecom, water and wastewater issues and that its work is guided by state energy policy (cited in the briefing as 30 V.S.A. § 202a) and a six‑year comprehensive energy plan, last completed in 2022. He described two central themes from the plan — equity and grid evolution — and said public polling showed Vermonters prioritize affordability, reliability and emissions when considering how the state gets electricity.

Gore walked committee members through three core components of the electric system: generation sources, transmission and distribution. He explained Vermont’s system remains largely vertically integrated — utilities in Vermont own some combination of generation, transmission and distribution — and…