Breaking: Electric Co-op Extend Negotiations with Power Suppliers

The five municipal units involved in the province's electric co-op are still trying to hammer out a new energy deal for their customers. The municipal electric co-op formed in 1997 and its members include the town's of Mahone Bay, Lunenburg, Riverport, Berwick and Antigonish. The co-op has been involved in serious negotiations for the few past months with two unidentified energy suppliers. In a CKBW/HANK interview, Mahone Bay Mayor Joe Feeney says the parties involved are close to a deal and have agreed to extend negotiations until the end of this month. "We're being...I don't think overly cautious...but we're being very cautious, but if we can get the final few stumbling blocks sorted out here...I'm confident we're going to be able to make a pretty good deal here for our customers spanning the next 20 years,"  The municipal units operate their own electric utilities and buy their power in bulk from Nova Scotia Power. However, the co-op announced an MOU between two new power suppliers last month that will bring cleaner, cheaper energy to their customers.