SALEM - The Oregon Public
Utility Commission issued a decision Friday
that significantly trims PacifiCorp's
general rate request filed with the
Commission earlier this year.
The PUC is allowing overall
rates to go up Jan. 1, 2007 by approximately
5 percent overall instead of the 13 percent
initially requested by the utility.
The decision is the result of
a stipulation reached between the various
parties to the case in August. The
stipulation represents a comprehensive
settlement reflecting agreement among all
the active parties in the rate case
proceeding.
The actual amount will be
adjusted this fall based on a final analysis
of power costs, but it is capped at $43
million a year. PacifiCorp had asked for
$116 million annually.
"Given where we arrived at
when all was said and done, I agree with the
others who examined this request and came to
the conclusion that it represents a
reasonable rate increase," PUC Chairman Lee
Beyer said.
The decision means the
average residential customers' monthly bill
will go up from $67 to about $70 based on
using a 1000 KWh of energy.
Costs were trimmed from
several areas including Operating and
Maintenance expenses, Administrative and
General expenses, Federal and State Income
Taxes, and the company's authorized rate of
return.
As part of the stipulation,
PacifiCorp agrees to not file a new general
rate revision case in Oregon before Sept. 1,
2007.
The case is the first filed
by PacifiCorp's new owners MidAmerican
Energy Holding Co. PacifiCorp serves about
530,040 customers in Oregon.
Link to Commission order:
