February 19, 2020 3:50 a.m.
On Friday, officials with Pacific Power filed requests with the Public Utility Commission of Oregon for a 1.6 percent overall rate increase.
A release from the utility, said it is the company’s first general rate filing in seven years, and represents a major rethinking of how the company produces, transports, and delivers electricity to power Oregon’s future.
The release said the proposal reflects the implementation of Pacific Power’s Energy Vision 2020 renewable energy and transmission initiative. It also includes multiple customer service enhancements, investments in wildfire mitigation, cyber security, and rate design proposals to increase transparency and opportunity for customers to better manage their energy use. The release said the company has also focused on expanding its renewable resources and improving how customers receive information through improved outage notification, online tools and apps, and advanced energy-management capabilities.
The commission will examine Pacific Power’s requests and will determine whether the schedule should be accepted as filed, modified, or rejected. If approved, the rate change would go into effect at the start of 2021. The release said the commission has the authority to set final rates that may be lower or higher than the company’s request, depending on the outcome of its examination.