SAN ANTONIO — Still, no solid answers on when disconnections are likely to begin again, but they are likely to start soon because the power company said it held off as long as possible. Almost 83,000 residential customers are eligible for disconnects. The power company gave no date for disconnects to begin again but said customers will be given notice by letters and phone calls and then will have 45 days to make arrangements before power is cut off. The utility is not currently eligible for direct federal funds to help customers but continues to explore options to help customers.
“We’re going to be as thoughtful as possible. We’ve got to get back to a normal. We don’t have any other funds to get this from,” said Paula Gold-Williams, CPS Energy’s CEO. “We’re holding it on our balance sheet again, it’s really been difficult to keep it all in balance. We’re going to have to start disconnects again.”
“I want to make sure the message out of this board is not that we think the public owns this company is going to have to figure it out,” said Ron Nirenberg, San Antonio’s mayor and CPS Energy board member. “We are with them together and We will figure it out together.”
Disconnections will again be put on hold during extreme summer weather which is likely to happen in late July and August. Still no word on what power bills will look like for customers from Feb.’s deadly winter storm.