News - Page 4

Grant PUD’s continued strong financial indicators have earned a credit rating upgrade from Aa3 positive to Aa2 stable from Moody’s Ratings, commissioners learned Tuesday.

UPDATE, 5/21/2025 Vote postponed for proposed new fees for service applications.

The vote on a resolution to increase fees for power-request applications has been postponed to a later commission meeting - likely in June - to give staff and commissioners time to take customers’ suggestions into account and revise the proposed fee schedule. “Timing is of the essence, but we want to get this right,” Senior Manager of Large Power Solutions Andy Wendell said this week. “We now have some new guidance from the commission and will move forward with a new resolution proposal.” 

Grant PUD’s Telecom & Fiber Services team told commissioners that as of March 31, 75.13% of Grant PUD’s customers are using the utility’s wholesale fiber-optic system. Communities with the highest participation rate include Desert Aire at 92.81%, George-Burke 86%, Quincy 85.83% and Mattawa 81.94%. Areas with the lowest participation rate are Stratford at 14%, Coulee City at 57.87%, Warden at 59.82% and Wilson Creek at 59.89%. The Wholesale Fiber team has a goal of an 80% participation rate by the end of 2025.  

Customer information is not affected by a data breach that compromised the personal data of nearly 850 Grant PUD employees and recent retirees on the payroll from March through April 2024.

In April 2025, Grant PUD’s Energy Services department, in partnership with 2nd Harvest, hosted another impactful Mobile Food Bank event in Ephrata, Washington. This biannual initiative by Grant PUD, launched in September 2023, continues to make a meaningful difference for families facing food insecurity across Grant County while promoting the utility’s conservation and assistance programs.

NOTE: This recap contains two separate audio recordings, Part A and Part B. Part B contains the action items and the second part of the conversation with land owners who are disputing the route of the Wanapum to Mt. View transmission line.

Commissioners voted unanimously during their meeting on Tuesday, April 8 to table a resolution starting the process of acquiring easements on private property by condemnation for the new Wanapum to Mountain View 230 kilovolt transmission line. 

(Editor’s note: This meeting took place at the Hydro Office Building, near Wanapum Dam and was not recorded.)

A 19-year Grant PUD employee with ample insights into energy-trading markets and the changing utility environment has been named to lead the team researching investments in new sources of energy to power Grant County into the future.Rich Flanigan will begin his new role as chief commercial officer on April 11, 2025, but is already serving as “interim” chief until his official start date. He replaces John Mertlich, whom commissioners recently chose to lead the utility as general manager & CEO.

Planting a tree isn’t just a great way to spruce up your landscape—it’s also a smart investment in energy efficiency. At Grant PUD, we believe in solutions that benefit your home and the environment. Trees not only add beauty to your property but also help reduce cooling and heating costs, improve air quality, and protect water quality. According to the National Arbor Day Foundation, strategically placed trees can help the average homeowner save up to 20% on energy costs.

(Note: Commissioners also announced the new general manager this week. Details are in a separate news release here.)

Careful budgeting and disciplined spending resulted total expenditures of $464.4 million in 2024 – only $2.9 million below that year’s original budget forecast, according to the latest figures, shared with commissioners Tuesday.

EPHRATA WA - Grant PUD Commission voted to appoint John Mertlich as the next General Manager and CEO position during their meeting on March 11.  

Grant PUD’s Enterprise Project Management Office is using a powerful combination of software tools to better track the cost and progress over time of the capital projects they oversee, commissioners learned this week. The information helps guide business decisions and deliver projects at the highest value. The office is also investigating whether to pursue becoming “self-certified” in “Design Build,” the state’s streamlined bidding, contracting and building process. Self-certification could reduce timelines even more on projects that include electric system expansion and upgrades. See the full report on pages 2-17 of the presentation materials. Hear the discussion at 13:49 on the commission audio.

Grant County PUD was at the center of a recent article in The Capital Press. Many of the comments made in the article were inaccurate with omissions, assumptions and accusations made. The Commission is responding publicly to the landowners and other public residents to correct inaccurate information.  

Grant PUD Commissioners formally announced that they accepted the resignation of General Manager/Chief Executive Officer Rich Wallen during their meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 11. 

(Note: We apologize for this week's audio recording, which is intermittent in parts, due to technical problems.) For the past 25 years, Grant PUD’s wholesale Fiber Optic network has been in growth mode as it focused on the task of building out a system to serve Grant PUD customers countywide. Now with all major construction complete for the initial network, the Grant PUD Telecom & Fiber Services team is moving into a new era of operations and maintenance to keep the wholesale network sustainable. 

Charitable giving through investments in energy conservation

The holiday season is a time for celebrating with family and friends—but it’s also a season that can be especially difficult for many families when it comes to providing consistent, nutritious meals. This year, we at Grant PUD are thrilled to share how our Pay it Forward Fund, facilitated in partnership with our key partner Microsoft and the Columbia Basin Foundation (CBF), helped make the Boys & Girls Club of the Columbia Basin’s first-ever Winter Break Backpack Food Program a reality!

Managing Winter Energy Costs

Commissioners each received a copy of a new book on Grant PUD's colorful history, rapid growth, current challenges and future opportunities. It will be provided soon in Grant County libraries, high schools, museums, port districts and other municipal entities. The book, "Powering On: The Can-do Legacy Driving Grant PUD Into the Future," was written by Pacitic Northwest author and hydropower historian John Harrison. Photo, from left, Commissioners Tom Flint, Terry Pyle, Nelson Cox, author Harrison, Commissioners Judy Wilson and Larry Schaapman. Scroll down for more.2025 budget, 3% rate increase, new rate-setting strategy approved in final commission meeting of the yearCommissioners Tuesday unanimously approved a $312.2 million budget for 2025 and a 3% increase to retail rate revenue effective April 1, 2025.