Since January, Grant PUD customers have been able to talk with a live and local customer service representative on seven days a week (excluding holidays and training days) from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The program has enabled customers to have greater access to help for their accounts and power service, said Cary West, Senior Manager of Customer Solutions during his department’s quarterly report for the PUD commissioners during their meeting on Sept. 10.
West said that there are two customer service reps on duty on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. These reps have access to customer account information, can take payments, and can relay information about outages and other power concerns to utility staff on the weekends. On Mondays through Fridays during typical peak days of the week, more local customer service representatives are on duty to perform the same services from 6 to 6.
“This enhances our customer experience,” West said about the weekend coverage. “It also adds bandwidth, alleviating workload pressure Mondays through Fridays.”
One of the greatest benefits are during large outages. Prior to having customer service reps answering calls, Grant PUD’s Power Dispatch Center would often be overwhelmed by call volumes. Now with the two reps on duty, they can take a high volume of calls during large outages, freeing up staff in the Power Dispatch Center to focus on restoring power safely and quickly.
West added that his department is achieving its goal have having less than a five-minute hold time for at least 80% of calls to the call center. The average through June is 90%. One area needing improvement are for wait times exceeding 10 minutes. The goal is for fewer than 1% of calls to have a wait time of more than 10 minutes. Through the first six months of the year, the average is just over 4%. West said calls with longer wait times typically occur during major power outages or times when staffing levels dip during the day due to lunch coverages for the team.
Grant PUD has 75 applications for new and expanding power service from large-load customers in a queue maintained by the Large Power Solutions team.
Andy Wendell, Senior Manager of Large Power Solutions, told commissioners during their meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 27 that those 75 applicants are asking for the equivalent of 2,897 total peak demand megawatts (MW) of power load. By comparison, Grant PUD’s peak load in July was set at about 1,050.
Data centers account for the highest interest in growth in the queue with 1,568 MW. Growth from port districts and other utility and government entities is 547 MW, and chemical companies round out the top three with 343 MW. Cryptocurrency, mineral and metal processing, and general manufacturing sectors are all wanting about 100 MW each. Quincy is the area with the highest level of interest with 1,578 MW while Moses Lake has 1,153 MW.
Wendell said his team is working to make process improvements and recommend policy changes so the queue more accurately reflects applicants who are making a significant commitment to growing in Grant County. One possibility is for more of an up-front cost contribution from applicants, Wendell said.
The contributions would go toward necessary Contributions in Aid of Construction payments that the customers would make to pay for infrastructure built to serve their load. Wendell added that a number of infrastructure studies and improvements would need to be made in order to serve the applicants presently in the queue. These improvements would including transmission line projects, plus new switchyards and substations.
(NOTE: Portions of this meeting weren't recorded due to technical troubles. We're working to fix them. Until then, you can find the recorded portion on YouTube here.
Grant PUD is planning to bring in more power resources to serve Grant County customers in 2026. Before that happens, staff is working with the commissioners to reaffirm the long-standing policy that core customers – residential, agricultural, and small business customers – will be the first supplied with low-cost power generation benefits provided by the Priest Rapids Project (PRP).
Commission policy dictates the following non-core sectors -- industrial, food processing, evolving industry, and commercial electric vehicle charging – would receive any remaining PRP generation resources after core customers’ power needs are met. These non-core customers would also pay extra costs associated with new power resources required to serve their load.
Ty Ehrman, Chief Customer Officer, said the Rates and Pricing group will work with the rest of the Grant PUD team to firm up this policy draft. Once it is reviewed and affirmed by commission, work would begin to determine the appropriate costs incurred for PRP power and then allocate that cost on a kilowatt hour basis annually as part of each customers’ rate.
He added that staff is considering having the incremental non-PRP power charge elements showing up as separate line on every customer’s bill. Non-core customers would be subject to having incremental power charges displayed as an additional kilowatt hour expense on their bills. Core customers would have zeros associated with the incremental power-supply costs, because they would not be subject to the additional charge.
Commissioners said they would like to continue exploring the recommendations from staff on rate-making policy during their upcoming workshop on Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. at 30 C Street SW and invited customers to attend and give feedback. They also plan to discuss the concepts during their Aug. 27 and Sept 10 commission meetings.
At Grant PUD, there is a strong belief in the power of coming together to create opportunities for the next generation. This belief was at the heart of the recent Solar Car Days event at Big Bend Community College, where Grant PUD collaborated with eight amazing partners to bring this annual event to life.
Bringing STEM to Life for Moses Lake Students
This year, a challenge arose when the Moses Lake School District informed Grant PUD, just a week before the event, that they would have to cancel their participation due to a lack of funds. Determined not to let the students miss out, Annette Lovitt from the Public Affairs team sprang into action. Through the Pay It Forward funds, Grant PUD was able to cover the transportation costs, ensuring that the students could attend and enjoy this enriching experience.
A Heartfelt Thank You from the Students
The impact of this event on the students was profound, as evidenced by the thank you notes received:
(Editor's note: We'll add timestamps as soon as the meeting recording is available. Sorry for the delay. )
Proposed changes to Grant PUD’s rate-setting policy would preserve the lowest-cost power for “core” residential, irrigation, agricultural and commercial customer classes and create new parameters for how much all customers pay for their electricity.
Grant PUD staff shared the draft proposal with commissioners Tuesday after public meetings April 16, May 21 and June 4 to hear concerns and suggestions from customers of all rate classes. Outreach also included an online survey that until early July had garnered 103 responses.
The draft proposal is a work in progress and will likely change with further discussion and feedback. It contemplates all input from both in-person meetings and digital survey responses. The draft is built on three policy “guiding directives:
- Protection of core customers
- Rate making based on social fairness
- Rate making aligned with the utility’s load growth strategy, especially for industrial customers.
In a key change, the draft would replace the old rate-setting “targets,” in effect since 2015, that established that rates will be adjusted over time so that by the end of 2024 no rate class would pay more than 15% above Grant PUD’s cost to generate and deliver their electricity, nor less than 20% below that cost.
The draft proposal relies on a new set of rate increase “bands.” No customer class would receive a compound rate increase of more than approximately 22% — or less than 5% — over a five-year period, assuming an average rate increase of 2% per year.
We recently had the pleasure of hosting the Monster Detective Collective Learning Lab, a series of interactive and educational events designed to teach elementary-aged kids about energy conservation and sustainability. These events were all about sparking curiosity, having fun, and connecting with our community.
(Photo caption: Annette Lovitt with the Public Affairs Team at Grant PUD teaching the Learning Lab to young detectives)
Event Highlights
Electrifying Adventures at Ephrata Library
Our first event kicked off at the Ephrata Public Library, where Annette Lovitt and her Public Affairs team led the session. We had a great turnout, with kids eagerly participating and parents expressing their appreciation for such an engaging initiative. The energy in the room was fun as the young detectives learned how energy is made, used, and conserved.
Hands-On Learning and Fun
Interactive Learning Lab
The Monster Detectives (our curious and colorful characters) took the kids on an educational journey. Through fun activities and hands-on experiences, the children became energy detectives. They got to hold a piece of a solar panel, sparking their interest in renewable energy sources and briefing them on how this renewable energy works. We talked through how energy comes from many sources, and which sources are clean, as well as which sources power their homes.
(Photo caption: Caden, External Affairs intern at Grant PUD, handing out stickers to Learning Lab participants at Ephrata Library)
Grant PUD has been offered $1.1 million in state grant funding to buy and install energy-saving electric appliances for qualifying low- or moderate-income customers and small businesses.
Appliances and services eligible for the program could include ducted or ductless heat pumps, heat-pump water heaters, heat-pump clothes dryers, induction cooking equipment, and electric panel and wiring upgrades, when required, Chris Buchmann, Energy Services supervisor, told commissioners.
Qualifying low-income households must have a collective annual income of less than 150% of the Area Median Income, which differs from zip code to zip code. Small businesses may be sole proprietorships, corporations, partnerships or nonprofits that employ 50 or fewer employees and meet additional state qualifications (see RCW 39.23.10 (22)).
Qualifying customers would be prohibited from reselling their new appliance to third parties, Buchmann said. Homeowners and renters may both apply.
Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposed grant funding at their next meeting, July 23, 2024. If they approve, qualifying customers could begin applying for the appliances and electric upgrades as early as this fall.
(Note: We'll post the audio timestamps as soon as the commission recording becomes available. Sorry for the delay.)
Commissioners kicked off their June 25, 2024 meeting by celebrating the 14 employees since the COVID pandemic ended who had successfully completed three-year apprenticeships for careers as Grant PUD power plant operators, power system electricians, linemen, electronic technicians and meter relay technicians.
“Grant County has always wanted to be in control of its own destiny and not be reliant on anyone else,” Commission President Tom Flint told the gathered employees and their supervisors. “That’s the heritage quality reflected in Grant PUD and staff. Congratulations!”
The graduates received the training they needed to take their journey level exams. They’re now embarking on the next level of their careers and will begin passing on their knowledge and experience to new generations of apprentice hopefuls, Casey Raab, Apprenticeship & Workforce Development Program Manager, told commissioners.
“Going through an apprenticeship is an excellent opportunity and a rewarding experience but requires great determination and hard work,” Raab said.
Many begin their training with a six-month trial period to be sure a craft position is a good fit. If they meet their journeyman and supervisors’ expectations, they’re admitted to the three-year, 6,000-hour apprentice training program.
Grant PUD plans to spread some powerful fun throughout Grant County this year through the North Central Washington Libraries’ free 2024 Summer Program.
Annette Lovitt, Grant PUD Public Affairs Officer – Community Engagement, told the commissioners that the utility’s Public Affairs Staff plans to bring the Public Power Monster Detective interactive program to children throughout the county through their local libraries.
“We’re excited to share this fun program with area students and we’re looking forward to visiting them in their hometown libraries," Lovitt said.
The Grant PUD Public Power Monster Detective Program schedule for public libraries includes:
- Ephrata, 45 Alder St NW, June 25 at 2 p.m.
- Coulee City, 405 W Main St, June 27 at 3:30 p.m.
- Grand Coulee, 225 Federal St., July 10 at 2 p.m.
- Warden, 305 S Main St., July 11 at 4 p.m.
- Moses Lake, 418 E 5th Ave, July 15 at 3 p.m.
- Quincy, 208 Central Ave S, July 17 at 3 p.m.
- Royal City, 136 Camelia St. NW, July 23 at 4 p.m.
- Soap Lake, 32 E Main St, July 24 at 4 p.m.
Along with the library activities, Grant PUD Public Affairs is planning Grant PUD participation in local parades and summer events, including the Grant County Fair, which is Aug. 13 through 17. Lovitt said Grant PUD plans to have a booth in the Commercial Building focused on customer conservation and low-income assistance programs. The utility will also focus on safety with the lineman safety demonstration trailer, and Grant PUD’s Cultural Resources Group also plans to have a Wanapum Native American demonstration.
(Note: Work continues on a new system for posting commission audio. When the audio is availble for this and previous meetings we'll post it and add timestamps in each respective recap. Sorry, again, for the delay.)
Grant PUD Commissioners learned Tuesday that the Washington State Auditor’s Office found three issues during a recent audit of utility’s compliance with the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) from Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2021. This was Grant PUD’s first compliance audit for CETA which was enacted into Washington state law on May 7, 2019.
According to Thomas Bernard, of the auditor’s office, who spoke with the commissioners, there were three findings that will be documented in their report. Read the audit findings report here.
In the first finding, the auditor’s office determined Grant PUD did not perform and report to the state’s Department of Commerce required cumulative assessment of its previous energy assistance funding levels compared to those needed to meet its 2030 and 2050 energy assistance funding goals. Also, the utility did not include its plan to increase the effectiveness of its energy assistance programs and strategies in producing short-term and sustained energy burden reductions as required by CETA.
In its response submitted to the auditor’s office, Grant PUD stated that it used a reporting template provided by the Department of Commerce believing it covered all the requirements. This method resulted in Grant PUD not submitting the required information as it was omitted by the Department of Commerce in the reporting template.
Since the audit, Grant PUD has communicated with Commerce to define the reporting requirements and parameters. Additionally, Grant PUD has dedicated a CETA Program Manager to assist with compliance and program development.
EPHRATA – Grant PUD commissioners announced today during their monthly workshop that Rich Wallen will remain as the utility’s Chief Executive Officer/General Manager.
The commission had reluctantly accepted Wallen’s resignation on May 7 when he let them know he intended to take a position with Chelan PUD.
Speaking for the entire board, Commission Vice President Terry Pyle dispelled rumors by asserting that the commission at no time asked for Wallen’s resignation and affirmed the commission’s support.
“Rich has been a positive force for opportunity and growth in virtually every area of Grant PUD. His leadership has put us in the strongest financial position Grant has ever experienced,” he said in a prepared statement. “He has not allowed us to rest on the good work we are, and have been, doing for years. He has pushed us to prepare for the wave of change that is now on our doorstep. We are well on our way to solving the challenges that lie immediately in front of us.”
He added, “So in the spirit of cooperation between Rich Wallen and the board, we are excited to announce Rich will continue to lead us on this voyage.”
Commission recap, 5/14/2024 — Irrigation rate could rebrand, expand for lower-cost ag power. More...
Note: We're still working through a new process for posting the commission audio. We'll add timestamps and audio as soon as we can. Very sorry for the delay.
Grant PUD’s Irrigation Service Rate 3 would be rebranded as “Agricultural Service” and expanded to include separate categories for electricity used for irrigation and other ag activities — if further study proves it financially viable.
Commissioners Tuesday got another look at the proposed revamped electric rate, intended to benefit Grant County’s farmers with lower-cost electricity.
The new rate would contain a “3a” classification for irrigation pumping and a “3b” classification for electricity used for growing crops, raising livestock and processing or storing ag products.
Farmers for “3b-type” activities are now billed under Rate Schedules 2 and 7, for small and large commercial customers. These rate classes also include non-farm activity, including small retailers, big-box stores and supermarkets, who, unlike farmers, can generally pass their price increases on to consumers.
Grant PUD will launch an info-gathering campaign to seek energy-use information from those customers who could qualify for the new agricultural rate. Results of the campaign will determine total energy needed to supply the qualifying customers, the financial impact of potential new rate and its cost.
EPHRATA – Rich Wallen, Grant PUD general manager/chief executive officer, has announced his resignation from the utility. The resignation, which was given to Grant PUD’s Board of Commissioners on May 7, is effective on June 14.
Wallen has been with Grant PUD for seven years and served the last two and a half as the utility’s general manager.
“During his time as CEO, Rich oversaw profound changes at Grant PUD,” stated Grant PUD Commission President Tom Flint. “Under his leadership, we have become more efficient and fiscally sound. Rich led a strategic re-alignment of the utility which sets the stage for Grant PUD to meet the changes and challenges in the evolving electric utility industry. He has also been a tireless advocate for hydropower in the Northwest, serving as a spokesperson for the industry, plus a board member and trusted advisor with many hydropower advocacy organizations.
“I, and the rest of the commissioners, are incredibly grateful for the energy, vision, and heart that Rich dedicated to our organization for the benefit of our customers. We wish him the absolute best as he moves on to the next stage of his career.”
Wallen is leaving Grant PUD for employment with Chelan PUD as their Chief Operating Officer.
Note: The commission recording is delayed this week due to technical issues.We're working to get it posted ASAP.
Discussion continues about a preferred rate for 'ag services'
A lower electric rate for some ag-related activities beyond irrigation could become a new offering for county farms and ranches, as Grant PUD commissioners continue their ongoing discussion about how to improve the utility’s current rate-setting policy.
The proposed “Agricultural Service” rate would apply to electricity that powers certain non-irrigation ag activities, including growing crops, raising livestock and processing or storing agricultural products.
Many ag businesses’ non-irrigation electric service is currently billed under Rate Schedule 2 for General Service or Rate Schedule 7 for Large General Service. Both of these rate classes also include non-ag activities, ranging from small shops to big-box retailers, who can often pass cost increases on to their customers. Farmers usually can’t raise prices to compensate for cost increases. See Grant PUD’s full rate list here.
Join Grant PUD commissioners for a discussion about the unprecedented growth in electric demand this utility is facing and factors that should most influence the way we set our customers’ electric rates.
Learn more about the utility’s current “cost-of-service-based” rate-setting model. Share your ideas about any factors in addition to cost of service that would ensure our rates help support continued financial strength and contribute to the social well-being, agricultural competitiveness, and commercial and industrial stability of Grant County.
Be part of the conversation — in person or virtually — at one of these upcoming “rate strategy” meetings:
- Ag customers — Tuesday, April 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Grant PUD headquarters, 30 C Street SW, Ephrata.
- Small and Med-sized business customers — Tuesday, April 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Moses Lake Civic Center, 401 S. Balsam St. Moses Lake.
- Residential customers — Tuesday, May 21, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Moses Lake Civic Center, 401 S. Balsam St., Moses Lake.
- Rate-setting wrap up — Hear a summary of the feedback received across all customer groups from the previous meetings and learn commissioners’ next steps.
- Tuesday, June 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Moses Lake Civic Center, 401 S. Balsam St., Moses Lake.
For a link to participate in these meetings virtually (via Teams video conference), please visit https://tinyurl.com/54be8e3n.
Questions? Contact Grant PUD Public Affairs,
Commissioners Tuesday unanimously authorized Grant PUD to purchase 34 acres from Grant County for $525,000 for a new Ephrata Service Center.
The parcel is near the Ephrata Walmart, south of State Route 282. The site is east of the old Ephrata Raceway property. Grant County has agreed to install a traffic roundabout at the nearby intersection of SR 282 and Nat Washington Way. The site was chosen over several other properties evaluated for cost, infrastructure, size, land use and constraints.
“This has been a work in progress for quite a while. I appreciate all the hard work from staff,” Commission President Tom Flint said.
The purchase is part of a long-term Facilities Master Plan to replace or upgrade various outdated Grant PUD buildings, including the Moses Lake Service Center and Ephrata Headquarters. The new center will meet Grant PUD’s needs 30 or more years into the future. Its design and location will provide better access, faster response times and more reliable customer service.
Commissioners Tuesday learned how Grant PUD has been able to extend its message and priorities through power industry collaboration during a report given by Chuck Allen, Senior Manager of External Affairs and Communications and Annette Lovitt, Public Affairs Officer – Community Relations.
By participating with the American Public Power Association and Washington PUD Association, Grant PUD has been able to secure audiences with state and federal legislators to discuss legislative priorities that will help Grant PUD’s customers continue to have low-cost reliable power. Some of the topics include supporting hydropower and the Lower Snake River Dams, modernizing the Columbia River Treaty, streamlining the federal grant process to help public utilities make upgrades to the power grid, and creating more efficiency in the permitting process for new projects.
In the past few years, there has been a greater emphasis in having the PUDs serving Grant, Chelan and Douglas counties collaborate to promote public hydropower with an aligned voice and legislative priorities. This has resulted in opinion pieces for regional news outlets originating from the general managers of the three utilities – Rich Wallen (Grant), Kirk Hudson (Chelan), and Gary Ivory (Douglas). The utilities have also worked together on events such as the Clean Energy Expo held last autumn, plus other educational and outreach programs.
During the presentation, commissioner Terry Pyle asked if there was redundancy in the 20-plus associations that Grant PUD has joined.
Allen explained that while that may seem to be the case on the surface, each association provides value and “serves their own niche.” He elaborated that while it may seem odd that Grant PUD is a member of Northwest RiverPartners and the Northwest Hydroelectric Industry, both organizations have different roles in promoting hydropower. Northwest RiverPartners is a research and educational association with a mission to help the public have a positive opinion about hydropower. While the Northwest Hydrorelectric Association has that as part of its mission, its primary purpose is to facilitate collaborative efforts between hydroelectric providers so they can improve their operations with technical workshops and peer education opportunities.
Grant PUD customers can now stay up-to-date on major power and fiber-optic outages in their specific areas of Grant County by simply reading an alert on their cell phones or computers.
Major outage alerts by text message or email have already begun to Grant PUD customers via the Everbridge Emergency Alert System. This is the same emergency alert system used by Grant County Emergency Management and many law-enforcement agencies around the region.
Grant County residents with mobile and landline numbers are already included in the Everbridge system. But anyone – even if you live outside Grant County – can opt in to receive alerts by filling out an online form here. Likewise, anyone who is already subscribed can opt out by following the instructions on any of the alerts received.
Grant PUD will use this alert service primarily for “major” outages affecting 100 or more customers and other, occasional, emergency service alerts. The same alerts and updates will continue to be posted on Grant PUD’s Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and the grantpud.org/outages website.
Why stay in the loop?
From left, Commissioners Tom Flint, Terry Pyle, Larry Schaapman and Judy Wilson return to Grant PUD’s Ephrata Headquarters after taking the District’s new all-electric Ford 150 Lightning for a spin
Riding on Lightning
Commission meeting day, March 12, was a beautiful, sunny one for a drive, especially in Grant PUD’s new all-electric Ford F150 Lightning, half-ton pickup. Commissioners piled in for a test drive and were impressed enough to reserve the truck to drive to an upcoming business meeting. The District paid $45,879, plus tax, for the crew-cab truck, which can carry 4-5 people and has a range between charges of approximately 300 miles.
Ford’s website for the Lightning says the truck can do 0-60 in less than four seconds — not that the commissioners will be exceeding the speed limit to get to their meeting.
Grant PUD Fleet Manager Brian Barrows said the District will put the truck through its paces in the coming months to gauge its practicality for the daily demands of on-the-job duty. The knowledge will help inform the potential addition of future electric vehicles to the fleet, which already includes two all-electric Chevy Bolts, used mostly for Customer Service-related travel.
Wholesale power revenues exceed projections
Commissioners learned during a preliminary fourth-quarter 2023 financial report given by the Grant PUD finance team that the utility’s wholesale power sales exceeded projections, which was the primary driver of the utility’s projected change in net position of $352.9 million at year’s end.
During their Feb. 27, 2024 meeting, Grant PUD Commissioners:
— Heard from Aaron Kuntz, Senior Manager of the Enterprise Project Management Office that:
- Work to upgrade the #6 turbine/generate unit at Priest Rapids Dam is currently 7 days ahead of schedule. The unit is now disassembled and will be rehabbed over the year. Rehab work is finished on five of the dam’s 10 units. All 10 units are planned to be rehabbed.
- Buildout of the fiber-optic network to the remaining customers of Grant County continued through most of the winter and is on track to be finished by year’s end.
- A contract to design and build a new Ephrata Service Center — a homebase for area line and electronics crews, warehouse, transportation shop, materials yard and more — was executed under the state’s “Progressive Design Build” process. The site of the new center has yet to be finalized. The existing center is aged and too small.
- Grant PUD project managers are currently shepherding 34 projects related to Power Production, Enterprise Technology, Facilities, and Power Delivery through various stages of the project management process – initiation, planning, execution, and closing.
See the full presentation on pages 40-63 of the presentation materials. Hear the discussion at 1:17:42 on the commission audio.
— Heard that the finance and energy-supply-management teams are requesting commission approval for a proposal to protect Grant PUD from the volatile pricing on future electricity purchases needed to ensure a reliable electric supply for its customers.
Grant PUD’s federal license to operate Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams entitles the utility to 63.31% of the dams’ physical generation of electricity and up to 30% of the financial (market) value of the generation from the dams. The market value is realized through an annual auction process. From the auction proceeds, Grant PUD receives cash to purchase power on the open market to serve its customers.
Grant PUD expects in-county electricity demand will begin to outgrow the utility’s physical and financial share of the dams in 2026-2027. Grant PUD’s share of the financial value is $307 million for 2024. Based on forecasted market prices, next year’s total is estimated at $297 million.