TOWN’S COST ROSE 132% FROM OCTOBER
Town of Blackstone electric bills “broke previous records” for many households due to the severe January cold.
But for other residents and businesses, the bills arriving by mail last week weren’t as high as some had feared. Some actually reported usage for January lower than December, which was a pleasant surprise.
Town Manager Philip Vannoorbeeck said the Town’s VMEA bill for January was $412,534. He called that amount a “top 10 high” since he began serving as Town Manager in 2011. But it was not a record. “We were certain it was going to be a record, but we dodged a bullet.”
Vannoorbeeck said the process is complicated, but the Town bought power from the Virginia Municipal Electric Association at the right time. He also said the Town is able to keep power costs low at certain times through its peak generation facility on East Street. It’s an intricate matter of timing and “shaving the peak,” he said.
Blackstone’s VMEA bill of $412,534 in January compares to $390,542 in December; $282,933 in November; and $176,269 in October.
In other words, the Town’s cost for electricity in January was 132% higher than its VMEA bill in October. Just like households, the Town’s bill is based on kilowatt hour consumption.
A rate sheet compiled by the Municipal Electric Power Association of Virginia (MEPAV) shows that Blackstone’s residential charge per 1,000 kilowatts of electricity is $135.97, as of July 2025. That same sheet shows that 1,000 kilowatts costs Dominion Power customers $149.92 per month, according to the summary, and Southside Electric customers $157.82 monthly.
Blackstone is one of 16 towns in Virginia — allowed by a State Supreme Court decision nearly 100 years ago — that own and operate an electrical distribution system.
Blackstone buys power wholesale from Dominion Energy through its purchasing group, VMEA, then sells that power to homes and businesses in and around Blackstone. Blackstone’s service territory includes most areas inside corporate limits. Exceptions include Pickett Court and the Food Lion and Walmart shopping centers, which are served by Southside Electric.
Blackstone also provides electricity to areas beyond corporate limits including Cole Harbor Apts., Cole Harbor subdivision and along Cox Road north of town.
Blackstone in 1996-97 fought a costly, unsuccessful battle to acquire all Southside Electric customers in town limits but lost its case after a two-day proceeding before the State Corporation Commission (SCC). The SCC ruled that Blackstone, Southside Electric, and Dominion are legally-bound to a service territory agreement that was agreed upon by all three entities and approved in the early 1970s.
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