On February 9, 2017, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (Washington Commission) approved new avoided cost rates for Puget Sound Energy (PSE) after PSE abandoned its proposal to stop paying qualifying facilities (QFs) for capacity in certain years, and strongly encouraging PSE to enter into power purchase agreements (PPAs) with projects with delayed negotiations. [Read more…]
Washington Commission Rejects Avista Rate Case
December 20, 2016 By
On December 15, 2016, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (Washington Commission) rejected, in a 2-1 decision, Avista’s proposal to increase electric rates by 7.6 percent and natural gas rates by 2.8 percent. Rather than reduce the utility’s rate increase, the Washington Commission took the unusual action of simply rejecting in its entirety by concluding that Avista failed to carry its burden to show that its current rates are not fully sufficient to meet its needs. [Read more…]
Washington Court Rejects PacifiCorp Rate Case Appeal
May 2, 2016 By
On April 27, 2016, the Washington Court of Appeals (Court) affirmed the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission’s (Washington Commission) order in PacifiCorp’s 2013 general rate case. The Court affirmed the Washington Commission’s conclusions: 1) refusing to change the company’s cost allocation methodology; and 2) approving a hypothetical capital structure rather than the utility’s actual capital structure. [Read more…]
Washington Commission Rejects PacifiCorp PURPA Change
November 16, 2015 By
On November 12, 2015, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (the Washington Commission) issued its final order in PacifiCorp’s Washington avoided cost case. The Washington Commission rejected the company’s proposal to eliminate capacity payments. The Washington Commission concluded that some sort of capacity payment was warranted because PacifiCorp’s projected market prices did not reasonably account for the company’s full avoided costs. [Read more…]
WUTC Lowers PacifiCorp Rate Increase
April 2, 2015 By
On March 25, 2015, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (Washington Commission) denied PacifiCorp’s $27.2 million (8.5% average) rate increase, and instead authorized the utility to increase rates $9.6 million (3.0% average). In reducing PacifiCorp’s proposed rate increase, the Washington Commission rejected a number of PacifiCorp’s efforts to re-litigate issues from the utility’s last general rate case that are currently being appealed to the Washington courts, denied recovery of deferred costs, and ordered the utility to file a power cost adjustment mechanism. [Read more…]
