Pacific Power proposal to lower average California bill by 5.5 percent

YREKA, Calif. – Pacific Power’s 45,000 customers in Northern California would see a 5.5 percent average rate decrease under a proposal filed Aug. 3 with the California Public Utility Commission. The annual Energy Cost Adjustment Clause (ECAC) filing marks changes, up or down, in the cost of generating and delivering power to customers. With this latest proposed decrease in customer rates combined with other recent rate decreases, Pacific Power’s California customer rates would decrease a total of nearly 18 percent over a 12-month period.

If approved by the Commission, customers can see this latest cost savings as early as Jan. 1, 2021. Pacific Power has been able to provide these cost reductions due to its investments in new wind generation, upgrading its existing wind fleet, and federal production tax credits associated with the projects.

With a broad geographic footprint, Pacific Power is uniquely able to serve customers with the diverse and abundant natural resources the West can offer while keeping energy costs low and affordable for customers. As a division of PacifiCorp, the company is leading a $6 billion-plus near-term investment plan to accelerate the reach and integration of more renewable energy resources, and to expand the transmission system in the West to advance grid reliability and resilience.

The projects are part of PacifiCorp’s ambitious Energy Vision 2020 initiative and most recent integrated resource plan, which adds about 6,500 megawatts of new renewable resources by 2023, and nearly 11,000 megawatts of new renewable energy and additional transmission infrastructure to the grid over the 20-year planning period.

“This is a significant cost savings for our customers, something that will make a difference in these challenging economic times,” said Stefan Bird, president and CEO of Pacific Power. “When we embarked on the Energy Vision 2020 project, we knew we would be making the grid greener, more efficient and more affordable and we are proud to be delivering on this promise to our California customers.”

If approved as filed, the average residential customer using 850 kilowatt-hours per month would see a bill decrease of 5.5 percent, or approximately $6.58 per month.

An ECAC is a required annual rate adjustment filing that allows Pacific Power to adjust the level of net costs of power to reflect current market conditions. The California Public Utilities Commission may schedule hearings on the ECAC proposal. Customers may submit comments to the Commission.