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Oregon PUC Seeking Public Comment on Pacific Power’s Proposed Rate Increase

Written on . Posted in Press Releases.

As a PacifiCorp customer who has reached out to the Consumer Services Division of the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) in recent years, we wanted you to be aware of a proposed rate increase requested by PacifiCorp and your options to comment on the impacts of the proposed increase to your electricity rates. The PUC wants to hear from you! View details below.

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) is hosting a virtual event for the public to comment on Pacific Power’s general rate case filing that proposed an increase to electricity rates. This event, held Tuesday, April 30, 2024, from 6-7 p.m. PDT, provides the opportunity to speak directly to the commissioners about the proposed rate increase. Customers may also submit comments in writing or by phone through June 14, 2024.

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) is asking for comments on impacts of this proposed rate increase. This is your opportunity to make your opinions known, and hopefully factor into the PUC’s decision making process. 

If you’d like to share your thoughts, please read through the information below and submit comments by June 14.

Ways to Comment

Submit comments directly to the PUC by June 14, 2024

About the Proposed Increase
Pacific Power, which provides electric services to 627,000 Oregon customers, filed a request to increase overall revenues by $322.3 million or approximately 17.9% for all customer types combined. If approved, residential single-family customers using an average of 950 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month would see a bill increase of $30.66. For a residential customer in a multi-family home using an average of 650 kWh per month, bills would increase by $18.51. Actual percentage increases will vary depending on customer type and usage.

Pacific Power’s proposed impacts for the different customer types due to the general rate case filing are noted in the chart below.

Customer TypesResidentialSmall Commercial Large CommercialIndustrialIrrigation
Percentage increase
for average usage		 21.6% 22.4% 10.4% 14.1% 22.4%

Pacific Power identifies several reasons driving the general rate case filing, including investments in transmission infrastructure, wind generation to serve customer load, upgrading the customer service system, increased costs of capital to reflect updated market conditions and risk, and wildfire and vegetation management related costs. The company also proposes an insurance cost adjustment and funding for a proposed catastrophic fire fund.

Pacific Power’s general rate case filing is undergoing a nearly year-long review and will be fully investigated on behalf of electricity customers by the PUC, the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, and others. These public comment events are part of that investigation, which will conclude in December when the Commissioners rule on the request. The Commissioners may approve or modify Pacific Power’s request and will only approve rate increases if fully justified by the company. New rates, if approved, are expected to go into effect January 1, 2025.

Stay Informed
To stay informed throughout this case, individuals may request to be added to the distribution list to receive publicly available documents. Submit requests by email to puc.hearings@puc.oregon.gov or by calling 503-378-6678. Please specify Docket No. UE 433 in the request.

Kandi Young (she/her)
Public Information Officer
Oregon Public Utility Commission
201 High Street SE • Salem, OR 97301
503-551-5290 • kandi.young@puc.oregon.gov