At their 7/14/2026 workshop commissioners:
Electric vehicle owners traveling busy Highway 282 will find 10 EV charging stations for public use at Grant PUD’s future Ephrata Service Center, currently under construction with completion slated for early 2028.
MATTAWA — A tugboat leased by a contractor working on a Grant PUD project sank upstream of Priest Rapids Dam overnight Sunday, causing a diesel spill in the Columbia River. Grant PUD contractors and crews began cleanup after discovering the spill early Monday morning.
Commissioners expressed no opposition to a proposal to round customers’ bills to the nearest dollar in response to the federal government’s decision to discontinue minting new pennies after November 2025. Cash payments are currently rounded up or down to the nearest 5 cents. The rounding proposal is expected to have minimal impact on customer bills and Grant PUD’s annual bill revenue.
Commissioners learned Tuesday that a study commissioned in early 2025 by Pacific Northwest utility companies, including Grant, Chelan and Douglas PUDs, shows the region faces an elevated risk of electricity blackouts today and into the future unless states extend deadlines for transitioning to renewable energy, ease obstacles to building more transmission lines and/or allow natural gas be used as an interim backup energy supply.
Continued rate analysis seeks fairness, stability, reduced risk
Commissioners got their first look at an energy resource Tuesday that could be construed as a type of “hydropower” that uses water heated to steam by the earth’s core instead of the cold mountain runoff and ever-flowing Columbia River that powers Grant PUD dams.
Volunteer bee collector Jan Dormaier inspects her net after collecting a native bee at Grant PUD’s Wanapum Overlook viewpoint. The viewpoint’s namesake dam is in the distance.
WENATCHEE, WA – Chelan, Douglas and Grant PUDs are considering a partnership to explore the potential for geothermal energy in North Central Washington. The proposal reflects a shared goal to meet regional energy needs through innovation, and deliver resilient, affordable energy for generations to come.
Grant PUD will spend much of the next two years preparing to make a big change in the way it buys the electricity it needs when generation from Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams isn’t enough and sells when the dams generate more than what’s needed to power the county.
A special group of 3,600 “electronic” juvenile salmon and steelhead will get helicopter rides in late April through May to transport them on a special mission for re-release into the Columbia River.
Commissioners hosted March 24 a public hearing on Grant PUD’s Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT), a standardized master plan that will foster the most-efficient use of the capacity on the Grant PUD transmission system.
Want to know more about Grant PUD's new rate-setting policy? The following FAQ will help. Why the change to the rate-setting policy?
Work is underway to create Grant PUD’s next, state-mandated Integrated Resource Plan, which describes how the utility will meet customers’ demand for electricity from 2027 to 2046, while maintaining reliable service in compliance with the state’s clean-energy requirements at the lowest electric rates possible.
Note to customers: Grant PUD commission meetings are normally the last Tuesday of the month. That date was moved up a week this month, to Feb. 17, because three of the commissioners will be in Washington D.C. next week on Grant PUD business. The Feb. 24 commission meeting has been cancelled.
Commissioners could decide at their next workshop Feb. 17 whether to preserve the golf course on Crescent Bar Island or redevelop the 46 acres to support additional camping, disk golf, mini golf or more natural areas that would appeal to a broader range of visitors.
Grant PUD Commissioners unanimously approved new electric rates for all customers during their business meeting on Jan. 27. The new rates take effect on April 1.
Advanced efforts are underway to develop a long-term plan for transmission system upgrades and expansion that will include a public-facing website that shows where transmission service is available, how much it’ll cost and how to request it.
Commissioners reviewed public input received on the proposed 2026 rate package during their workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Commissioners asked the public for their comments on a proposed increase of 3.5% for residential, general service/small business, and ag customers (core customers). A 9.5% increase is proposed for Tier 1 and Tier 2 (noncore) customers. (See more here). The rate adjustment is intended to balance affordability for core customers while ensuring financial stability in a high-inflation environment. Grant PUD gathered feedback through multiple channels:
