Bedford Energy Commission hears CPCNH briefing on community-power contracts, rates and March-2026 launch timeline

At the Aug. 28, 2025 meeting of the Town of Bedford Energy Commission, Andrew Hatch of the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire (CPCNH) briefed commissioners on the contracts and policies the coalition asks member towns to accept so they can be "on deck" to join a community-power launch.

Hatch said the packet before the commission outlines four underpinning policies the coalition asks members to acknowledge: Energy Portfolio Risk Management, Retail Rates, Financial Reserves and Data Security and Privacy. "This is not a step that is committing the town of Bedford to move forward in any way at all," Hatch told commissioners, adding that signing the agreements prepares a town to participate if conditions later make a launch appropriate.

Why it matters: signing CPCNH greements allows Bedford to receive the customer data and planning support CPCNH needs to decide whether to press the procurement "go" button. If Bedford moves forward it could change where many local ratepayers get their default electric supply and could affect local rates and reserve accruals.

Hatch described how the coalition manages procurement and risk: CPCNH contracts with Ascend Analytics for…