Bonneville Power Rates Revised After Fish Lawsuit Loss
Published Date: 9/17/2026
Notice
Summary
Because of a recent district court decision in a lawsuit filed by the National Wildlife Federation, a coalition of fishing and environmental groups, and the State of Oregon, Bonneville is holding an expedited rate proceeding pursuant to the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act (Northwest Power Act) to add power rate adjustment mechanisms to the FY 2026-2028 Power Rate Schedules and GRSPs for the remainder of the BP-26 rate period. The Northwest Power Act requires that Bonneville's rates be established through a section 7(i) rate proceeding and based on the record of a formal hearing. The expedited proceeding is required to ensure the proposed mechanism takes effect as soon as practicable, given Bonneville is already being negatively impacted by the court order. By this notice, Bonneville announces the commencement of an expedited rate proceeding, designated as the "BP-27" proceeding, for the limited purpose of adding power rate adjustment mechanisms to the FY 2026-2028 Power Rate Schedules and GRSPs. The proposed power rate adjustment mechanisms are expected to recover an additional $250 million from power rates, which would result in a 6.3 percentage increase to the average effective Priority Firm Non-Slice power rate.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Proposed $250M Power Rate Increase
Bonneville proposes to recover an additional $250,000,000 from power rates for the remainder of the BP-26 rate period. That proposal would raise the average effective Priority Firm Non-Slice power rate by 6.3 percent, the average effective Industrial Firm power rate by 5.3 percent, and the average effective New Resources Firm power rate by 2.2 percent.
Which Products Rates Will Change
The proposed adjustment mechanisms (the Court-Ordered Operation Rate Adder, COORA, and the COORA True-Up) would be added to GRSP section II.AD and apply to PF-26 products: Load Following, Block, and the Block portion of Slice/Block. They also apply to power purchased at the PF Melded Rate (PF-26), the Industrial Firm Power Rate (IP-26), and the New Resource Firm Power Rate (NR-26). The mechanisms would adjust the PF Tier 1 Equivalent Energy Rates (GRSP II.AA), the Load Shaping Charge True-Up Rate (GRSP II.E, Section 1), and the PF Melded Equivalent Energy Scalar Rate (GRSP II.R, Section 1(c)).
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