Commission workshop, 1/13/2026 -- Public input reviewed on rates. Natural gas gathers momentum. More...

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: 

• 6 comments during the Dec. 9 public hearing 

• 33 comments submitted via the Grant PUD website 

• 18 comments captured from social media 

Key Themes from Public Feedback: 

• Data centers and new loads should pay more 

• Concerns about impacts on seniors and fixed-income households 

• Economic pressures from inflation 

• Questions about the size of the 10-year rate trajectory 

• General dissatisfaction despite understanding the rationale 

Social media comments echoed similar concerns, with additional emphasis on renewable energy benefits and rate impacts on small businesses. 

The commissioners are expected to vote on the 2026 Rate Package during their business meeting on Jan. 27. Pending commission approval, the new rates would take effect on April 1. For more information, see pages 37 to 48 of the presentation materials.  

Natural gas gains momentum as additional energy resource

Commissioners heard in their first workshop of the year, Tuesday, that Grant PUD is researching electricity-generating natural gas plants near the county’s major “load centers” – areas of high energy demand, such as the wheeler corridor in Moses Lake and, potentially, Quincy.

The plants would supply electricity to these growing industrial areas, without requiring miles of new transmission lines to deliver the power.

 Staff is focusing on generation technologies that could eventually be converted from natural gas, which produces a relatively small amount of carbon, to a non-carbon-generating fuel, such as hydrogen, to comply with state’s 2045 deadline to remove carbon-producing fuels from the state’s energy supply.

Additional analysis is underway to determine if an investment in an out-of-state natural gas plant, in a state that doesn’t have emissions-free policies, could supply power at a lower cost to Grant PUD customers.

In addition to natural gas generation, staff continues to research investments in battery energy storage systems (BESS), geothermal and small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) to supplement Grant PUD’s portfolio of hydropower, solar and wind energy. Work also continues to integrate the utility into a new western energy market – the Southwest Power Pool’s “Markets +” – that would help Grant PUD get the most value from the surplus power it sells beyond the county’s needs.

See pages 1-26 in the workshop presentation materials for more information.

Commissioners also:

-- Received an update about seismic stability work and studies that will happen this year at Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams, as well as a community outreach program for those who live downriver of the dams. For more information see pages 27-36 of the workshop presentation materials.