Grant PUD eyes expansion of transmission system to support county growth Load growth was the topic of Tuesday's transmission workshop held during the commission's regularly scheduled meeting. While many utilities around the country struggle with flat or reduced load growth, low-cost power has helped foster economic growth throughout Grant County.Ba...

The release schedule for access to Grant PUD's fiber-optic network in 2019 is out. During Tuesday's commission meeting, Senior Manager of Wholesale Fiber, Russ Brethower reported to commissioners that construction is either progressing or scheduled for each of the nine pre-determined areas set to receive access this year.The off-island Crescent Bar...

Increasing energy efficiency and a reduced need for California to buy electricity from the rest of the region are contributing to the lower price Grant PUD and other utilities are getting on the regional wholesale market from the sale of surplus electricity.A proliferation of solar energy in California has reduced the state's energy consumption at ...

Lawsuit undermines good-faith effort to achieve mutual clean-water goalsEPHRATA — Grant PUD will not alter its plan to apply for and obtain a Clean Water Act pollutant-discharge permit for Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams, despite the recent lawsuit filed by Columbia Riverkeeper.The lawsuit follows months of intensive analysis, dialog with Riverkeepe...

Columbia Cliffs community, Grant PUD agree to public shoreline access Grant PUD seeks to reclassify a 9-acre portion of Grant PUD shoreline property adjacent to the Columbia Cliffs community just north of Crescent Bar. The reclassification will allow the PUD to permit certain existing property uses appropriate for public use, including lawn and bea...

Electric rates will not go up this year for most Grant PUD customers, but the first of a three-year phase-in of the new Rate Schedule 17 for higher-risk "evolving industry" customers will begin as planned, April 1.Commissioners approved the new rate Aug. 28 after months of public input.Rate 17 protects Grant PUD and its core customers from unintend...

Most Grant PUD customers will not receive an electric-rate increase this year, commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday, to give the board a year to study and potentially modify the existing policy for setting rates.The new Rate 17 for cryptocurrency and other "evolving industries" will continue as planned with the first of a three-year, stepped ra...

Verizon Media donates conservation savings to benefit local communityEPHRATA — Grant PUD's community-sponsored Share the Warmth program received a considerable donation of $69,650 from Verizon Media data center in Quincy. The funding will go to help the neediest families throughout the county pay their electric bills when they have no other options...

Commissioners Tuesday agreed not to increase electric rates this year for most customer classes to give themselves a year to study potential rate-setting policy changes and the results of a new cost-of-service study expected to be finished by year's end. (3:28:50 on the commission audio)The proposal does not apply to the new Rate Schedule 17 for "e...

Grant PUD commissioners Tuesday tentatively agreed to deviate from a rate policy in place since 2013 and support a flat 1-percent rate increase across all customer types, starting April 1. The decision won't become final until they vote on it at an upcoming meeting.Commissioners had been considering alternatives to the already budgeted 2-percent ra...

Grant PUD commissioners Thursday asked staff for alternatives to the 2-percent electric rate increase slated to begin April 1, but they first want to see the financial implications to the utility of each potential alternative.Alternatives requested during the rate workshop are:Three consecutive annual rate increase of 1 percent each through 2021. T...

Scammers impersonating Grant PUD are calling and threatening to disconnect powerEPHRATA — Grant PUD is reporting that a large number of customers are receiving phone calls from scammers using terms like "disconnect order" and telling them that they will have their power shut off unless they make an immediate payment. Some of the scammers have even ...

Power Production earns praise for successful dam-safety auditFederal dam-safety auditors are pleased with Grant PUD's ongoing efforts to keep Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams safe via routine inspections, monitoring, surveillance, emergency action planning and training of dam operators and engineering technicians, commissioners learned Tuesday.Grant ...

New year, new commissioners and officers at Grant PUDJudy Wilson and Nelson Cox officially took their seats on the Grant PUD Commission Tuesday, after a swearing-in by Grant County Superior Court Judge David Estudillo.Wilson defeated Commissioner Terry Brewer for the 6-year, District 1 spot, becoming the second woman in the history of Grant PUD to ...

Top Stories:Decision delayed on proposed contract for general managerGrant County PUD commissioners Tuesday agreed by split decision to table discussion on a proposed employment contract for General Manager Kevin Nordt.Neither Commissioner Bob Bernd, who retires from the board at the end of this year, nor Commissioner Terry Brewer who'll also leave...

Top StoriesFiber to get $12.6 million more in 2019 budgetCommissioners Tuesday approved a $292.4 million budget for 2019 that includes a 2-percent increase in retail electric-rate revenue and $12.6 million in new funding to speed build-out of the fiber-optic network to the 30 percent of Grant County residents who still don't have access.Together wi...

Utility to work with Washington Department of Ecology to prepare permit applicationEPHRATA — Grant PUD will submit an application to the Washington State Department of Ecology's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. The Department of Ecology is fully authorized by the Environmental Protection Agency to administer t...

Top StoryProposed Budget to include $12.6 million more for faster fiber build-outA majority of Grant PUD commissioners Tuesday said they would like to add $12.6 million more to the proposed 2019 budget to speed fiber-optic build-out to the 30 percent of Grant County residents who still don't have access.An investment of $12.6 million annually for f...

By Kevin Nordt, general manager, Grant PUDIt's no secret that we expect to begin outgrowing our ultimate share of power from Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams in the early 2020s. That's based on our current pattern of above-average load growth of about 30-35 megawatts/year. The "ultimate share" refers not only to our physical portion of power, which w...

Commissioners support more funding for faster fiber build-outCommissioners voiced strong consensus Tuesday for more money in the 2019 budget for fiber-optic network build-out and shortening from 10 to five years the proposed time to finish extending the network to all Grant County residents. (3:17 on the recording. See budget presentation here)The ...