Electric And Gas Rate Increase

Pacific Power customers will have a chance to comment on proposed electric and gas rate increases Wednesday.

A public hearing on the proposed increases will be held at 12 noon.
The hearings are being held by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.

PacifiCorp, the Portland-based company that serves about 127,000 Washington customers with electricity through Pacific Power, is seeking a 4.3 percent rate increase starting in May.

Under the proposal, the average residential customer using 1,300 kilowatt hours per month would see a $4.65 increase in their bill for a total of $107.73. That increase would bring $12.9 million in additional annual revenue for the company.

The request was initially filed last July with the Utilities and Transportation Commission, which regulates private, investor-owned electric companies in Washington.

Staff for the agency have recommended cutting the initial request by more than two-thirds, saying they would support a 1.1 percent overall rate hike.