The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) is hosting a virtual public comment hearing on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 6 p.m. PDT. The event provides customers of Portland General Electric (PGE) an opportunity to comment via Zoom on the impacts of the utility’s proposed increase to electricity rates. Customers may also submit comments in writing or by phone through May 31, 2023.
PGE filed a request to increase rates by 14 percent. This would impact customer rates differently depending on usage and customer type – residential, business, or industrial customers. For a residential customer in a single-family home using an average 890 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month, a current monthly bill is about $141.65. With PGE’s proposed increase, the average residential customer bill would increase to about $164.12 per month. For a residential customer in a multi-family home using an average of 590 kWh per month, a monthly bill would increase from about $95.35 to $110.92.
PGE identifies several reasons driving the proposed rate increase, including the replacement of the Faraday Powerhouse in the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project to increase generation, improve reliability, and mitigate seismic and safety risks. PGE also identifies numerous investments in its transmission and distribution systems as cost drivers, as well as the effect of high inflation levels on the company’s operational costs, including energy market prices, insurance, interest rates, labor, and materials.
PGE’s general rate change request 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, the Alliance of Western Energy Consumers, and others. This public comment hearing is part of that investigation, which will conclude in December when the Commissioners rule on the request. New rates, if approved, are expected to go into effect January 1, 2024.
Comment via Zoom or phone on May 3
Interested individuals may participate in the virtual public comment hearing to provide verbal comments to the Commissioners and the Administrative Law Judge presiding over this case.
When: Wednesday, May 3, 2023, from 6-7 p.m. PDT
This meeting may go beyond the scheduled end time to allow more people to comment, so please log in before 7 p.m. PST.
View the meeting agenda to access the Zoom link and phone-in details at: bit.ly/41CbvB8.
Source: Oregon Public Utility Commission