The chart shows the monthly cost for an average residential household comparing Central Lincoln People’s Utility District with other PUD and publicly-owned utilities. (CLPUD)The board of the Central Lincoln People’s Utility District has approved a 3 percent increase in its residential rates beginning July 1 – two percentage points lower than its rate increase in 2025.
The rate increase for 2026 is in line with 3 percent annual increases from 2022-24. Customers will see the increase on their August bills, said community services director Eric Chambers.
Central Lincoln supplies electricity to much of four coastal counties from Lincoln Beach in the north to North Bend in the south. It has 36,042 residential, 5,308 commercial and 208 industrial customers.
Like other businesses, Chambers said CLPUD has been impacted by increases ranging from 20 to 50 percent in the cost of materials, a nearly 10 percent increase in wholesale power rates and a 20 percent transmission rate increase from the Bonneville Power Administration, its electricity provider.
Central Lincoln is a public utility district, which enables it to buy power from the BPA at substantially lower rates than public owned utilities and not try to turn a profit for shareholders. The PUD’s rates are 39 percent lower than Oregon’s average utility rates, Chambers said, and 37 percent lower than Pacific Power, which services areas to the north and south of Central Lincoln’s territory.
I really wish the Central Lincoln PUD would stop with the all the anti-salmon, pro-dam propaganda it issues in its Coastlines newsletter. Yes I care about electricity rates but I also care about saving the salmon. The PUD needs to recognize a lot of its customers feel the same way.
On the other hand, congratulations to the PUD for building a new headquarters that, unlike the current building, won’t collapse in a big earthquake.