(Note: Links to commission audio should be live by end of day Friday, 9/12)Staff has proposed a 16-month power-sales “bridge” agreement that would change the way Grant PUD sells about one-third of its share of the generation from Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams and better positions the utility to serve its growing customer demand in a changing market.

Note: Commission audio links should be active by end of business Friday, 8/29.Grant PUD commissioners unanimously approved Resolution No. 9100 on Tuesday, Aug. 26 to begin formal easement condemnation proceedings for 10 parcels of private property along the path of the Wanapum to Mountain View 230 kilovolt transmission line.  

Digging in for the future: From left Grant PUD General Manager & CEO John Mertlich joins commissioners Nelson Cox, Judy Wilson, Terry Pyle, Larry Schaapman and Tom Flint in moving the first shovelfuls of dirt for the new Ephrata Service Center. EPHRATA – Commissioners pitched in the first, ceremonial shovels full of dirt Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 4 p.m. to break ground for Grant PUD’s new Ephrata Service Center, a major milestone that will prepare this 87-year-old public utility with the space, agility and facilities to safely and more efficiently respond to day-to-day operations, maintenance work, connection requests and emergent outages well into the future.

(Note: The meeting recording should be posted by early next week)

Commissioners received a report, Aug. 12, that specifically outlined the main reasons for a more expensive power supply in the coming years.  

Workshops and other outreach is underway to inform Grant PUD customers about a new rate strategy intended to ensure “core customers” – residential, ag and small and medium-sized businesses – receive  the lowest rates possible for their electricity, while industrial rates remain competitive with the region, Grant PUD commissioners heard at their July 22, 2025 meeting.

Grant PUD has launched a quick, 11-question survey to collect your views on the state mandate that utilities remove air-polluting carbon from their energy supply.

Editor's note: The commission audio should be posted by late Friday, 7/11/2025

Work is underway to create an updated plan to detail Grant PUD’s continuing efforts to meet the state’s clean-energy mandate, which includes special provisions for underrepresented and vulnerable customer groups.

Enjoy Independence Day along the Columbia River at one of Grant PUD’s recreation areas, but please leave your personal fireworks at home.

Work is progressing on an “unbundling” strategy intended to ensure Grant PUD’s “core customers” – residential, ag and small business – get the lowest rates possible and industrial customers the rate-predictability and protection from large rate increases they’re asking for, commissioners heard Tuesday.

Utility-industry veteran Glen Pruitt has been named Grant PUD’s vice president of Legal, Regulatory and Government Affairs.

Commissioners heard that Grant PUD’s Human Resources Department has launched an initiative to identify the critical employees the utility will need into the future and which roles, including engineers, that have been typically hard to fill. Their conclusions will help prioritize their recruiting efforts in the coming years. For more information, see Human Resources full quarterly business report on pages 1-9 of the presentation materials. Listen to the conversation at 16:03 on the commission audio.

An accomplished leader with more than 34 years’ experience in customer service across a wide spectrum of public-utility services, has been named Grant PUD’s vice president of Customer Experience.

Grant PUD has reorganized into two divisions to streamline its reporting structure for increased efficiency and better alignment with other public-power utilities.

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.”