US ELECTIONS: Ayotte to continue ‘all of the above’ energy policy in NH as governor

Republican candidate Kelly Ayotte will likely be the next governor of New Hampshire after winning a tightly contested race against Democrat Joyce Craig, according to preliminary election results.

Ayotte led Craig by 7.5 percentage points with 62% of votes counted when the Associated Press called the race at around 10:35 pm ET on Nov. 5.

Ayotte, a former New Hampshire attorney general and US senator, is expected to continue the “all of the above” energy policy embraced by her predecessor, outgoing Republican Governor Chris Sununu, with the aim of tackling soaring prices.

New Hampshire power rates climbed 51.3% between 2018 and 2023, the second-highest rate increase in the nation in that period, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Under Sununu’s leadership, the state pursued a policy that he characterizes as more market-driven and technology-neutral than the renewable energy mandates and emissions reduction goals adopted by some neighboring New England states.

During her campaign, Ayotte advocated for bringing small modular nuclear reactors to the state. New Hampshire is already home to NextEra Energy’s 1,251-MW Seabrook nuclear plant.

On the issue of net metering, Ayotte could potentially differentiate herself from Sununu by increasing the maximum capacity for eligible customer-owned renewable generation. Sununu repeatedly vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have increased the cap to 5 MW from the current 1 MW.

In August, the New Hampshire Bulletin reported that Ayotte would be “open to looking at” net metering expansion but wants to “make sure that we don’t pass additional costs on to ratepayers.”

Additionally, Ayotte has said she will fight against federal offshore wind projects off the state’s coastline, reversing the course set by her predecessor who described himself as a "champion of offshore wind.”

In the US Senate, where she served from 2011 to 2017, Ayotte helped organize a GOP working group to promote a party agenda dealing with climate change, breaking with many fellow Republicans.