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Portland General Electric $GE +1.03% filed for regulatory approval on Wednesday for a 29% rate increase for large-load data center customers while simultaneously proposing rate cuts for residential and business customers, implementing Oregon's new POWER Act.
If the Oregon Public Utility Commission signs off, June 10 is the target date for the new rates to go into effect. Under the proposal, homeowners would pay 1.3% less, small businesses 3.7% less, commercial accounts 2.2% less, and industrial customers 1.5% less, according to the company.
Oregon legislators passed the POWER Act last year, establishing a separate billing category for data centers and other major power consumers, and empowering state regulators to hold those customers financially responsible for the generation and transmission infrastructure their expansion requires. The threshold for inclusion under the law is a project drawing more than 20 megawatts, the company noted.
PGE received Oregon Public Utility Commission approval on May 7 to become the first utility in Oregon to implement the POWER Act. In that proceeding, regulators also authorized exit fees, minimum charges, and special contracts to support clean energy development, the company said.
