By The Salem Statesman-Journal
Some customers of Pacific Power would see their power bills increase 14% if a plan proposed by the company is approved.
In the plan filed with the state, the utility is asking for an $84 million yearly increase in rates for customers in Oregon, a 6.8% increase. But that increase would impact different types of customers in different ways.
The average residential bill is $91.89 for customers in single-family homes using 900 kilowatt hours per month. The company’s request would increase that to $104.90 per month. That would be a 14.2% increase.
Also, multi-family homes that use an average of 600 kilowatts per month would see their bills increase $6.97 per month, an 11% increase, under the proposal.
The increase, if approved, would be about $200 per year for a residential customer.
Pacific Power lowered electric rates by 5.2% in 2021.
Commercial and industrial customers would have smaller percentage increases, though the company didn’t indicate what that would be in publicly available information.
Pacific Power serves about 600,000 Oregon customers in cities such as Lincoln City, Albany, Bend, Dallas, Grants Pass, Hermiston, Independence, Lebanon, Medford, parts of Portland, Roseburg and Stayton.
As an investor-owned utility, Pacific Power’s rates are determined by the state. The company files to the state for rate increases. They are approved or denied by the state’s commission.
Of the requested $84.4 million increase, Pacific Power is proposing to spend $41.4 million on wildfire vegetation management, $17.1 million on capital structure improvements, $14.8 million for a wind farm project in Wyoming, $9 million in insurance and $8.4 million for operations and maintenance.
Pacific Power said the rate increase is needed as power costs are increasing for the first time in five years. But it says the increase would be below the national average of 27% over the past year.
The company said in its filing it has provided customers in the state with $102 million in savings through the use of zero-carbon energy through the end of 2021.
“We are in a period of significant change. We are investing in the safety, adaptability and resilience of our energy grid and building to a net zero emissions energy future,” Matt McVee, vice president of regulatory policy and operations for Pacific Power, said in a statement. “While we do this, we remain steadfast in our commitment to our customers and our communities and will continue to seek new ways to reduce impacts to customer bills along the way.”
