HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Power has announced a one-year delay for a controversial proposal to charge fees to customers who sell renewable power back to the grid.

In a news release, Nova Scotia Power president and CEO Peter Gregg says the proposed “net metering” charge filed last week with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board would now take effect Feb. 1, 2023 if approved.

Gregg says the utility “regrets” that there wasn’t more consultation ahead of the filing with the province’s solar industry, which was caught off guard by the proposed changes.

He says it’s hoped the delay will provide enough time to create solutions that support the continued growth of the solar sector.

The utility’s proposal would have charged solar customers a monthly fee of about $8 per kilowatt of electricity, adding about $960 a year for a typical 10-kilowatt photovoltaic solar installation, which generates about $1,800 in annual revenue.

Critics said the proposed fee could wipe out the province’s emerging solar industry.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2022.